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Why Mitch Moses is not to blame for NSW loss in Origin III

Adam Lucius
·Contributor
·4-min read
Seen here, Mitch Moses shows the ball for NSW in Game III against the Maroons.
Mitch Moses had a hand in several NSW tries and was strong in defence in Game III against the Maroons. Pic: AAP

Mitchell Moses played alright in State of Origin III and was not to blame for NSW's narrow loss.

There, I've said it.

Now it's time to surround my house with an iron dome for the in-coming missiles.

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Moses is one of those players that anger fans for no apparent reason.

Blues supporters – of the non-Parramatta variety – were death-riding him the moment he was picked for game three.

Check out the social media sewer. They were into Moses from the get-go, seemingly for the crime of being chosen ahead of Adam Reynolds.

The vitriol went up a level or two after fulltime, the poor bloke even copping it for daring to join in the Blues' series-winning celebrations on stage.

His many critics say Moses is a flat-track bully, only able to deliver when the going's good against inferior opposition.

So let's look at the facts from Wednesday night in one of the biggest games of the year.

Moses was credited with two try assists, one line-break assist, one forced drop out and 16 tackles at 84 per cent efficiency.

I would have thought that was a fair return for a player on his Origin debut.

Yes, the NSW attack was disjointed at times and Moses has to wear some of the blame for that.

Pictured here, Mitch Moses gets set to throw a pass for NSW in Origin III.
Mitch Moses is seen here in action for NSW in the Origin finale against Queensland on the Gold Coast. Pic: AAP

It didn't help that his five-eighth Jack Wighton was out-of-sorts for much of the game, continuing his patchy club form.

Queensland also did a better job containing gun trio James Tedesco, Tom Trbojevic and Latrell Mitchell.

But without first-choice halves Jarome Luai and Nathan Cleary, there was always going to be a lack of cohesion among the Blues.

Would NSW have been served going with the Reynolds-Cody Walker combination?

Perhaps, but don’t blame Moses for the "crime" of being picked.

Gold-coated attack

Talking of halfbacks copping sprays, what about the reception given victorious Queensland captain Daly Cherry-Evans?

The Maroons skipper looked genuinely rattled as the boos rained down from the Cbus Stadium stands as he made his acceptance speech following the Maroons' gutsy win.

Sure, the crowd was pro-NSW but there was an extra touch of viciousness in this attack.

The people of the Gold Coast obviously still haven’t forgotten DCE back-flipping on the Titans six years ago and will remind him at every opportunity.

For the record, he is very comfortable with his decision to ditch the Titans all those years ago and remain at a club accustomed to playing finals footy.

Lockdown life could test relationships

Some players are privately concerned about being bunkered down with their coach 24-7 as 12 NRL teams get used to life living in each other's pockets in Queensland.

It could be a long couple of months for those playing under relentless bosses who talk rugby league in their sleep – especially if the losses start mounting up.

No wonder teams hotels stripped out their bar fridges before players arrived.

Watch 'Mind Games', the new series from Yahoo Sport Australia exploring the often brutal mental toil elite athletes go through in pursuit of greatness:

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