After six weeks as the NRL’s weirdest team, it’s time for Parramatta to deal in 2023

Six rounds later, Parramatta claims to be the oddest team in the NRL this year.

The Eels played well in the games they lost and poorly in the games they won.

One of their victories was a spectacular, knockout brawl in which Penrith seemed dead without even blinking. Another was a bizarre win against the Tigers Its head coach Brad Arthur and star halfback Mitchell Moses were both disappointed.

“I feel like we haven’t had that all year.I don’t think we performed like that.In the first five rounds, we played some really good football teams. I did… most of the games,” said Moses.

“I felt like I hadn’t touched the ball in the first half, but I still scored three tries. It was a strange match to be in. We lost games before, but we played better.

“In terms of the physical side of the match, I felt like I wasn’t playing like I had in the first five rounds.

A candid comment from Moses sounds like something you’d hear after a loss. This fits the odd situation with Eels almost in his quarter of the season.

They’re hard to read and hard to know what to expect, but given the military’s return from injuries and suspensions and the fact that they sit 14th on the ladder, the Eels come out on top. It’s time… gear if they’re going to be a serious soccer team this season.

It will begin with a game against old rivals Canterbury on Sunday when the club welcome skipper Junior Paulo from suspension. Back rower Sean Lane’s opening game of the season against the Tigers finally put the Eels near the last 17.

Moses’ form would give the blue and gold faithful players reason for optimism — the 28-year-old has been on good terms despite his team’s lackluster performance against the Tigers. rice field.

Moses scored four tries and took control of the kicking game, as he scored a clear win against the Panthers last month.

“When I looked up, it was like [with my kicking], I just reacted. It’s not pre-planned, you just react to it,” Moses said.

“I know we had to walk away with the win, but we were mostly in control at 22-6 and made some silly mistakes that kept us away from the footplay. We’ll have to fix that, but I was scoring points every time I was there, so there was no drama there.

“We just made a mistake. We tortured ourselves because we moved away from playing football. It hurt us a little bit.”

Sunday’s clash with Canterbury will be the first time the Eels will face former teammate Reed Mahoney, and Moses’ kick-off with Bulldog superboot Matt Burton will no doubt be the highlight. .

Blue and White have suffered a daunting loss to the Rabbits on Good Friday, but are expected to welcome key forwards Tevita Pangay Jr. and Viriame Kikau.

“Okay, Reedy is still friendly with a lot of the boys. He’s playing excellent football. I’ll have to work with him. I’m still talking to him a little bit. , I will not speak this week,” said Moses.

“He’s got Bertie in big boots and likes to get a toupee, but I don’t see it as a kick duel, it’s not rugby union or anything.

“I’ll focus on the foot tee and flip the ball where it best suits us as a team. But it can pull the Bulldogs away on that front, but we’ll give it a try.”