Mitchell Moses says Nicho Hynes “deserves the opportunity” to play halfback for the Blues, with the returning Eels star backing his state to get the job done after he made an incredible comeback from injury after more than two months out.
The Parramatta No.7 is the incumbent NSW halfback but was unavailable for selection for the series opener after he fractured his left foot in round three.
Moses would have been the obvious choice to play with Nathan Cleary out injured, but as hard as he pushed for an early return, it wasn’t meant to be, with Hynes to steer the side around the park despite carrying his own calf issue.
“I hope they win. I think the team Madge (Blues coach Michael Maguire) has picked is unbelievable,” Moses said, with the Eels star likely to be considered for game two if NSW don’t win next week.
“I’ve got to play good footy here and that stuff will sort itself out, but I really hope they get the win. I wish them all the best.
“He’s picked a great side and I think they’ll get the job done.
“It’s a big opportunity for him (Hynes). He won a Dally M a few years ago and is playing great footy, so he deserves the opportunity. He’s going to go out there and do the jersey proud.”
There were hopes Moses would be able to return by Magic Round to give himself a couple of games to impress Blues selectors, but the Eels were never going to rush back their best player until he was fully fit.
“I tried to push it and I tried to come back early to give myself every chance to get out there,” he explained.
“It was tough to watch from the sidelines, but I gave it every chance to try to come back early, but it just wasn’t ready.
“I’m just happy in myself that I gave it every chance and tried my best to come back early. I’ve got a screw in there which is a bit annoying. I’m probably going to feel it for the next few weeks.”
You wouldn’t have known he’d been out for so long as Moses and the returning Clint Gutherson inspired the Eels to just their fourth win of the season.
Moses set the tone early with a booming kick that Will Kennedy caught just short of his own try line, while his running game is as strong as ever as he sprinted down the short side to set up a Bailey Simonsson try.
“I probably only had one kicking session in the past 10 weeks and that was on Monday,” he revealed.
“To get that one off (the first kick) felt pretty good. I just had to be out there and be a voice and try to be involved as much as possible.
“I probably wasn’t really happy with my game, to be honest. There are areas (I can improve) because I put one out on the full and I’m probably getting used to the speed of the game.
“I think I can be a lot better in some areas, but I just needed to get through the 80 minutes and just be a voice. We were desperate and that’s what we needed to be.”
His stint on the sidelines was made worse when Brad Arthur was sacked as coach, with Moses feeling helpless to try to save the job of a man who has elevated his game over the years.
“It was really hard, especially with what happened (to Brad),” he said.
“I was helpless to see the coach that I had pretty much since I came to the club and I had such a good relationship with him. He taught me a lot about footy, and I’m probably not the player I am today without him.
“It was pretty tough watching on the sidelines and being helpless and not being able to help at all, and then to see what happened.
“That’s footy, and I had to move on and we had to move on as a club. Today (Thursday) was the first step moving forward and we need to keep winning now.”