Mitchell Moses will play the biggest game of his career so on Friday night, but footy isn’t top of his agenda this week.
That is because the Parramatta halfback is due to become a father with his partner Bri Gardoni due to give birth to the couple’s first child at some point this week.
Moses has to juggle the demands of playing finals footy with the mixture of excitement and nerves that comes with becoming a parent for the first time.
Parramatta halfback Mitchell Moses and his partner Bri Gardoni are waiting their first baby
In his case that means a nervous wait in Sydney, before the Eels fly out to Townsville on Thursday ahead of their clash against Cowboys the following night.
‘We’ll play it as we go, we’ve got all the travel and that,’ the 28-year-old told CODE Sports.
‘[Bri is] good, she’s ready to go. It’s very exciting, it’s our first one. I’m feeling very good, very nervous but excited.’
The Eels remain on track to break the longest current premiership drought in the NRL – Parramatta last won the competition in 1986 – after thrashing Canberra 40-4 in the semi-final on Friday night.
The Eels star and Gardoni are expecting a baby girl, their first child together
Moses’ partner is due to give birth at some point this week, with the Eels halfback set to fly from Sydney to Townsville on Thursday ahead of the preliminary final against the Cowboys
Moses was at his mercurial best against the Raiders, scoring a try to go with a try assist, three tackle breaks and two line breaks. He also converted five of Parramatta’s seven tries as the Eels reached their first preliminary final since 2009.
It was an emphatic response from a player who has often been questioned for failing to steer his team over the line when it mattered most.
Up until Friday night, the Eels had won just twice in nine finals game under Brad Arthur, but he stepped up to the plate as did his team.
‘He was very good,’ Arthur told reporters after the game.
Moses was at his brilliant best as the Eels thrashed Canberra 40-4 on Friday night to reach their first preliminary final since 2009
Moses scored a try to go with a try assist, three tackle breaks and two line breaks
He converted five of the Eels’ seven tries in a dominant display against Canberra
‘There was talk about him not being able to handle the pressure, but I think he showed he can handle the pressure tonight.’
An already crucial week from both a personal and professional standpoint took an even more emotional turn on Monday, when Moses attended the funeral of his grandmother.
The Eels were expected to train on Monday, but Fox Sports reported Arthur opted to move the session on compassionate ground to allow Moses to attend.
His grandmother, Barbara Elias, became a State of Origin sensation in 1992 when she jumped over the fence at the old Sydney Football Stadium to wipe blood off the face or her son and New South Wales legend Benny Elias.
Eels coach Brad Arthur praised Moses for stepping up when it mattered for his team
Meanwhile, former NRL great Braith Anasta believes this year is the Eels’ best chance to win a premiership.
Parramatta will lose hooker Reed Mahoney and star back rower Isaiah Papali’i to the Bulldogs and Wests Tigers respectively at the end of the season, with Marata Niukore set to leave for the Warriors.
And Anasta suggested the clock was ticking on the Eels’ premiership window.
The most important thing [about this season] is they [Parramatta] are losing Mahoney and Papali’i next year.
The Eels are aiming to break a premiership drought that stretches all the way back to 1986
‘So, if they don’t win the comp this year they won’t win it next year,’ Anasta said on Fox League’s NRL 360 on Monday.
‘This is a small window, an opportunity they have to win a premiership.
‘They’re in good form, they go and take on the Cowboys and if they win they can beat Penrith [who play the Rabbitohs in the other preliminary final] as they’re the only team to beat them twice this season.
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