‘I’ll do anything to win’: Moses wants to polish off 3-0 whitewash to cap Origin debut

Mitchell Moses is feeling on top of the world as he braces for his first-ever Origin outing, but there’s just one thing the new Blues star wants to cap the moment: a 3–0 series.

State of Origin all comes to a head on the Gold Coast next Wednesday evening. New South Wales has already clinched the shield, and lead two games to zip, but they’re chasing yet another slice of history ⁠— a rare series lockout.

On the other side of the park, a rattled Queensland squad is looking to save pride, and avoid just the sixth winless Origin campaign since its inception in 1982.

The Blues have hit a snag though. In the last three weeks, they’ve lost two of their main men, ace Panthers duo Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luai. The injured mountain men were key cogs in the seemingly unstoppable Blues juggernaut that has already racked up 76 points in just two State of Origin matches this year.

The injuries have forced Freddy Fittler to call for reinforcements.

First, the Blues coach shuffled Jack Wighton into the number six jersey, after the Raider played the first two games from the bench. Then, he had a big choice to make; who to call up to replace Cleary as the team’s pivotal number seven playmaker.

In the end, it was Mitchell Moses ⁠— fresh off a heartbreaking one-point loss to Cleary’s Panthers in Round 16, ironically ⁠— who got the call-up for Game 3.

“I said yes, of course. 100%,” Moses said.

“I saw [Freddy’s] name on my phone, and I just got pretty excited before answering. It’s special for any player any time you pull this jersey on and I’m going to do it for the first time [in Robina] so I’m pretty excited, definitely.”

The Eels playmaker comes into State of Origin at an interesting time. The 2021 series has already been locked away 2–0 thanks to two one-sided contests north of the border; Moses is just coming in to “finish the job” for injured star Nathan Cleary.

The fact the Blues have been so dominant in games one and two heaps even more pressure on New South Wales’ newest halfback ⁠— he “has to win.”

“I’ll do anything to win the game,” admitted Moses.

“You guys know how I act on the field. I hate losing… that rubs up everyone else a bit different at times. I won’t change for Origin; that’s how I play the game.”

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Moses is bringing his own flair, yes, but he’s also inheriting a team built around the competition’s best halfback, Nathan Cleary. The felled Panthers superstar has big boots to fill, but he’s already been giving Moses tips ahead of Game 3.

“Hopefully I can do his jersey proud,” Moses said.

“He’s a quality player, and I’m happy to be filling in for him. He’s played a fair bit of Origin footy now so any advice he’s had for me, I’ve just sat down and listened.”

On the training paddock, state coach Brad Fittler almost seems as excited as Mitchell Moses ahead of the 26-year-old’s Blues debut. He’s been “eager” to slot Parramatta’s main man in “for some time,” but it’s been tough to find him a role.

“I’ve been a fan of Mitchell’s for a while,” he said.

“I’m very fortunate I get to give Mitchell a chance. I don’t like to see anybody get injured but Nathan got injured last game and will be out a few weeks, so I’m very excited to give him [Moses] an opportunity.”

There was talk, Fittler admits, that the Blues should call on red-hot Bunnies duo Adam Reynolds and Cody Walker. The Rabbitohs combo would have kept that club-land synergy in the halves alive in the absence of Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luai. In the end, Freddy landed on Moses and Wighton instead.

“I’ve coached [Moses] before, so I’ve seen him in action; what I saw was a quality player who can lead a team around. He’s a great leader,” Freddy continued.

“Only one team gets to win the grand final each year and to be fair most of the time it’s been Melbourne or the Roosters, so outside anyone playing for them you’ve got to say that every one of those players may be exactly the same [having the potential to perform well on the big stage].

“I think a lot of people are learning from those big teams. This will help Mitchell going forward given it’s a big game, and an opportunity to play in another big game.”