Remember when Mitchell Moses was an experimental NRL fullback?
Then a cocky 18-year-old, rookie Moses played a total six games at fullback for Wests Tigers in 2014, the last of which culminated in a 64-6 humiliation at the hands of North Queensland.
Five years on and Moses is not only arguably the best halfback in the league but also the chief conductor of Parramatta’s electric start to the finals series.
Moses turned in one of the most mature performances of his career to steer the Eels to a stunning 58-0 shutout of Brisbane in their elimination final on Sunday.
It was Moses who sent Brisbane packing with the type of display that has awoken a seemingly dormant Eels fanbase a season after their team collected the wooden spoon .
He finished the night with two tries, a try assist, and six goals, and even had his defensive work hailed by legendary halfback Andrew Johns.
“He’s deadset playing with the Broncos at the moment,” said Johns on Nine Network commentary midway through the second half.
“There’s a piece of play five minutes ago, which is his best play of the game. Look at him sprint out of marker and tackle (front-rower) Payne Haas.
“I haven’t seen that from him all year. That’s a sign of his aggression.”
On the opposite side of the scrum, makeshift Broncos halfback Jake Turpin appeared helpless in attempting to pull his team out of the landslide.
It was the ninth game in a row Turpin, in his second season, had been asked to deputise in the halves, prompting Johns to question the club’s playmaking stocks.
“They’re the biggest club in the competition and they haven’t got a world-class playmaker. And you scratch your head,” Johns said.
“That’s not a knock on Turpin. You can not manufacture that position.”