Mitchell Moses incident comes to light as Parramatta crisis worsens
The Parramatta halfback was caught in an ugly incident during the match.
Mitchell Moses and Maiko Savo have both been fined after they were caught pulling the hair of their opponents on the weekend. The Parramatta Eels are 0-3 to start their NRL season having lost to Manly 34-30 on Thursday night at Brookvale Oval.
The match was played at a frenetic pace and during the encounter Moses was caught pulling on the hair of Kelma Tuilagi. In a seperate incident, Siva ripped the hair of Christian Tuipulotu.
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The ugly incidents caused uproar with the NRL placing both players on the match review charge sheet. And on the weekend, both players were fined $750 for the ugly acts.
While the fines are a small price to pay for the NRL players, Manly CEO Tony Mestrov praised the governing body for bringing the incidents to light. He was adamant the acts needed to be stamped out of the game.
"Good on the match review committee," Mestrov said. "This sort of stuff might have happened 30 years a ago, but it doesn't belong anymore."
The minor fine might not seem like much, but it only adds to the woes of Parramatta who are facing the 2022 Premiership winners Penrith in Round 4. A loss would see them move to 0-4 to start the season.
However, the Eels will have Ryan Matterson back in the squad having missed the first three games of the season after spending time suspended.
Ryan Matterson returns for the Eels against the Panthers
Matterson opted to serve a three-game suspension - instead of a $4,000 fine - to start year after a crusher tackle in the NRL grand final against the Panthers. The loss of Matterson has been made worse after the Eels also lost fellow back-rower Shaun Lane to a broken jaw. And fullback Clint Gutherson said Matterson's return is a timely boost for the squad.
"It's massive. Obviously disappointing we didn't have him for the first three," Gutherson said. "He brings a lot of experience and skill, a big body. We can't wait to have him back. A big in for us. He's going to bring a bit of confidence we need.
"He's been with us for a few years. He's played in grand finals. He's done it all, won one. He knows how to win, he's a competitor. That's what we need in a team."
While the Eels could be staring at a 0-4 record after next weekend, Gutherson reiterated it was not time to panic. "I've been in teams where we have lost five, six or seven in a row and still made the top four," he said.
"We've been close, but close isn't good enough in this competition. We could easily be the other way and no-one really talking about it.
"We have been in it in every game, and just shot ourselves in the foot a few times. You can't do that against quality teams."
with AAP
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