As the Parramatta Eels prepare to take on the red-hot Penrith Panthers this Thursday, all eyes have been on veteran halfback Mitchell Moses for more than just his on-field performance. Last week, the NRL club made a high-profile announcement: star five-eighth Jarome Luai will join the Eels on a one-year deal in 2027, before moving to Papua New Guinea to take up a marquee spot with the newly established PNG Chiefs for their inaugural Super Rugby Pacific campaign. However, when reporters pressed Moses on Luai’s impending arrival during a Tuesday media briefing, the Eels skipper repeatedly shut down all inquiries, emphasizing his immediate focus rests solely on the upcoming match.
Moses and Luai already share experience as halves partners for the New South Wales Blues in State of Origin, having lined up together for three matches with a solid 2-1 win record that includes a decisive victory in the 2024 Origin decider. Despite this existing on-field chemistry, Moses remained tight-lipped about what the pairing will look like at club level when Luai joins Parramatta. “It’s exciting for next year, but that’s next year. We’ve got a job to do this week,” Moses told reporters. “We haven’t been up to scratch lately, so we’ve got to be better against a Penrith side that’s in outstanding form right now.”
Pressed on what Luai will bring to the Eels’ squad, Moses added: “He’s not here yet, so I’m not too sure about at clubland what he brings. It was good in the Origin arena, but we’ll have to worry about that next year. I’m not sure why we gelled so well there – you’re playing with quality players in that environment, you do your job, and everything else sorts itself out.” The Eels captain also refused to engage in playful speculation about which of the two star playmakers would take the leading “Batman” role and which would serve as the supporting “Robin” in their 2027 partnership.
Moses also pushed back on suggestions that the Eels have become a temporary “halfway house” for playmakers, pointing to the club’s recent signing of Jonah Pezet, who will also spend one season at Parramatta before moving to the Brisbane Broncos. When reporters continued to press for more details on Luai’s signing and the upcoming partnership, Moses held firm to his focus on the immediate match. “That’s next year, we’ll worry about that next year. We’ve got a job to do this week, and all the Jarome stuff, that’ll be happening next year. You can start talking about that November 1, guys. You’re not going to get much more out of me here. If you want to go again, you can go again and ask again, and I’ll say the same thing.”
Thursday’s match will mark Moses’ first game since the Blues’ shock Origin decider victory, and he will go head-to-head against his NSW Origin halves partner Nathan Cleary, who currently plays for Penrith. The two could reunite as teammates later this year for the Rugby League World Cup, and Moses was full of praise for Cleary, who silenced widespread critics with a standout performance in the 2024 Origin decider. “He’s probably the best player in the comp right around at the moment,” Moses said. “To go up against him will be special and a great test for us as a group. We’ve just got to put an 80-minute performance in. I don’t think we’ve really done that this year, and we’ll be looking to do that this week.”
Moses also expressed his support for Cleary amid the pre-decider criticism. “I was rapt for him. He copped a lot of abuse, which was unwarranted, and he just put that to bed. I was really happy for him, he was outstanding in that game three.”