Jason Ryles’ start to his career as an NRL head coach has been dealt a huge blow, with Parramatta captain and halfback Mitchell Moses ruled out of the first-round clash against the Storm with a foot injury.
To make matters worse for Ryles, his back-up playmaker, Dean Hawkins, is also unavailable because of a leg injury, which has forced the Eels to seek clearance from the NRL for train-and-triallist Ronald Volkman to be promoted to the starting side for Sunday’s daunting trip to Melbourne.
Moses, who last week inked a five-year $6.5million deal that will keep him at the Eels until the end of 2029, felt soreness in his left foot a few weeks ago. It was the same foot that kept him out of action for a couple of months last season.
Moses’ absence will present Eels five-eighth Dylan Brown with a golden chance to prove his value to potential suitors. Brown, upon whose shoulders the bulk of the playmaking responsibilities will now fall, has opted to test the market and attracted interest from Newcastle on a potential ten-year, $13million contract.
Brown will need to take control of the team given Volkman is new to the Eels and not played in over a year because of a shoulder injury, which ended his career at St George Illawarra before it started.
“Mitch is experiencing soreness from a previous injury, we’re taking a cautious approach to ensure his foot heals properly and he can play his best football for the team,” Ryles said. “We will continue to monitor Mitch’s recovery and make an assessment on a return date next week.”
The Storm, who have a brilliant record in season openers – they are chasing a 23rd successive round one victory – are almost at full strength, with only Nelson Asofa-Solomona missing through suspension.
MItchell Moses won’t figure in the Eels’ season opener.Credit: NRL Photos
Ryles, who was working with the Storm as an assistant to Craig Bellamy until midway through last season, said after the Eels’ second and final trial that Moses had “every scan under the sun”, and had been cleared of anything serious.
