The dream Moses move I want to see happen... and brutal roster reality facing Eels — Alex McKinnon

Sam Walker is the name in all the headlines this week, while Nathan Cleary’s future has also been a hot topic of conversation in the past month too.

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But one person I think we aren’t talking about enough is Mitchell Moses.

Of course, I understand why his situation is different. On the surface, Moses’ future isn’t a topic for debate.

He is contracted until the end of 2029 and there are no options in either party’s favour to end the deal early. In other words, Moses should be at Parramatta for another three years.

But rugby league can be a funny business and in the case of Moses, I’m really interested to see how the next few seasons play out.

To be clear, there isn’t any suggestion at this stage that Moses wants out of Parramatta or is even close to considering it.

I just can’t help but wonder, at this stage of his career, whether Moses is thinking if he is in a position to win a premiership with the Eels in the next few years.

He is 31 after all. These are the prime years of his career. He was only lifting the State of Origin shield last month.

Moses is at the top of his game and has never played better. But when I look at Parramatta, while I believe in coach Jason Ryles, this doesn’t look like a roster that is ready to compete for a title.

I feel like to be a premiership favourite or contender you need to put together back-to-back season that are at least competitive.

That hasn’t happened this year for Parramatta. Could they bounce back into the top eight next year?

Sure.

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I generally think that with a fit roster and players performing at their best, any team has the chance to do that.

But this Parramatta roster, even with Jarome Luai on the way, still feels a few years off being that consistent, competitive team that can challenge for a title.

Moses, on the other hand, feels like the perfect player to put a team that is on the cusp of premiership glory over the top.

Which brings me to Walker and the Roosters.

Again, this is just pure speculation. This is me looking at the halfback market and the state of the competition and where all the different teams fit in the premiership race.

The Eels aren’t quite there yet and while Moses has been a loyal leader for them in his time at the club, no one could begrudge him for feeling like his best chance of winning a premiership is elsewhere.

The Roosters, meanwhile, are in a position where they could pay Walker a lot of money. Or, they could make a short-term investment in a player like Moses if Walker goes elsewhere.

Moses would be the perfect player for the Roosters. He is best mates with James Tedesco. He can play that style at halfback that really suits Trent Robinson. He has the long kicking game and can play the game manager when the Roosters lose their way.

They’ve also got some exciting young halves coming through like Toby Rodwell who Moses would be a perfect foil for, especially if the rumours are true and Daly Cherry-Evans is going to leave at the end of the year.

Of course, I also understand that Roosters chairman Nick Politis reportedly refuses to work with Isaac Moses, so that would be a potential roadblock in this ever happening.

But this is less about whether it will actually happen and more of a thought exercise in considering where Moses fits into Parramatta’s timeline.

With that in mind, is there a crazy world where Parramatta pays overs for Walker and they do a swap where Moses lands at the Roosters?

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Again, it’s pure speculation. This is fantasy rugby league, if you will.

But you can see how in this hypothetical scenario it would work for both teams.

Walker gets what he wants, although there is a catch in that he goes a team that isn’t really in that premiership window right now.

But for Moses, he has nothing else to prove. He is ready to win a premiership, and it is just hard at the moment for me to see him doing it at the Eels.

Which is why this is a conversation worth having, even if Moses or the Eels may not be having it themselves.

WHAT I WANT TO SEE FROM THE ELIMINATED TEAMS IN 2026

Storm and Raiders fans, you are technically still a chance of making the finals. It is just a 0.1 per cent chance — but there’s a chance.

So, you are spared the post-mortem here. But what about the five teams that have already been eliminated and are looking towards 2027?

Here is what I would want to see from them in the final stretch of the season if I was a fan of those teams:

Dragons

I’d love to see them continually compete. I think one of the main things for them is ensuring that they don’t get blown out in any game. I’d hate to see them get beaten by multiple tries. I feel the coach and the players, they’re all developing. Regardless of whether they’re winning or losing games, I’d love to see them continue to be competitive in their last few games.

Broncos

First, give Reece Walsh the opportunity to evolve as a pivotal piece of this team. Then, really nail down a style of play that works on the field to allow you to make roster decisions and have clear plan heading into 2027.

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Titans

I love that their first-choice spine finally looks to be solved with Keano Kini at fullback, Jayden Campbell and Zane Harrison in the halves and Oliver Pascoe at hooker. The big question mark for me is AJ Brimson. He seems settled. He’s got a young family up on the Gold Coast and is a real leader in that team. He can still add a lot with his speed and with attacking shapes. But I feel that depending on price, he would be a real target for a rival team that needs a fullback — whether that’s Perth, PNG or even the Bulldogs. As for the Titans, if you want to free up some cash to optimise other positions, he’s the one on your roster you need to question his role in the centres and whether it’s value for money.

Tigers

I want to see a game style that is conducive with the modern game. They were winning at the start of the year with a lot of offloads and moving the ball they’re actually getting to a point where they’ve got some good players on their team and in particular in the second row with Kai Pierce Paul and Samuela Fainu. Add Jahream Bula at the back and Api Koroisau and they’ve got some really strong cornerstone pieces in their team. I’d love to see them play a style of football that is conducive with high completion and field position partnered with an aggressive defence. Sometimes you don’t need to rewrite the book, and you just can’t get bored with the basics. I feel like that’s what they need to do. I don’t know if that is conducive with the personality of the players and their roster. But that’s what we need to see.

Eels

I have a lot of faith in Jason Ryles. I don’t think changing the coach in near future is the answer. They have some really strong core pieces in their squad. They just need to have some stability staff wise and then they can make a decision on the direction that they would like to go. I don’t see them having a top-four or even top-six roster for five years. I just don’t. Junior Paulo is an older middle and they’re holding on to him like he’s Payne Haas. It feels like if he left the sky’s going to fall down. It’s a dangerous spot for them to be in.

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