Moses still battling foot injury ahead of round one

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Moses still battling foot injury ahead of round one

Parramatta are confident Mitch Moses will be fit for round one despite the star halfback still requiring several scans on the sore foot he injured almost a year ago.

With all eyes on fellow Eels half Dylan Brown and his future beyond this year, Moses has been battling his own issues in his left foot.

Initially injured against Manly last March, Moses missed two months of football before returning and suffering a season-ending bicep rupture in State of Origin.

The lingering pain in Moses’s foot is, however, still yet to subside, prompting the Eels to leave him on ice for Friday night’s 30-18 trial loss to Wests Tigers.

Coach Jason Ryles insisted afterwards had it been an NRL match Moses could have played, with the 30-year-old aiming to be ready to face Melbourne on March 9.

“Mitch had a bit of soreness with his foot around the ******,” Ryles said.

“We’ve had every scan under the sun and he had a really good running session today to build him back up for round one.

“Because of where we were in the pre-season, we didn’t want to push him through whatever he didn’t need to.

“But he’s all clear, he’s happy and he’s training – we expect him to play round one.”

Ryles said the pain was likely down to workloads through the pre-season.

“This year he’s probably done the most training he’s done for a long time and that probably caught up with him the past few weeks,” the new Eels coach said.

“If we’re playing NRL games, we’re playing him.

“It’s a matter of being smart about it while we can be smart about it.”

Moses’s inclusion in trial matches would have been handy for the Eels, given they are running a new attacking structure under Ryles.

Rookie No.1 Isaiah Iongi was the shining light for Parramatta against the Tigers, while Brown was also missing to attend his brother’s wedding in New Zealand.

Brown’s future has been the storyline of the summer with the 24-year-old having until round 10 to negotiate with other clubs or take up an option to stay at Parramatta.

Signed at the Eels until the end of 2031 with multiple options in his favour, Brown has also fielded long-term interest from multiple other clubs including Newcastle.

Ryles said he would ideally like the situation resolved shortly, but would not rush Brown to make a decision before the start of the season.

“Dylan is entitled to do whatever he likes in regards to the situation he is in,” Ryles said.

“With me, he’s been outstanding. We’ll support Dylan 100 per cent, whichever direction he goes.

“Obviously sooner rather than later would be nice, but it’s important he gets this decision right because it’s an important one for him.

“We’re pretty clear on our position. We’re really clear as a footy club.

“The club has showed a lot of faith in him offering him a nine-year deal. We’re in the midst of that at the moment. That’s where it all sits.”

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