Star Parramatta recruit Zac Lomax lamented the “massive loss” of newly appointed captain Mitch Moses who is expected to miss the opening six weeks after scans on his injured foot confirmed the worst news for the Eels.
Moses had been ruled out of Sunday’s season-opening clash with Melbourne Storm with a stress reaction in his left foot and further assessments revealed the full extent of the injury.
It’s a hammer blow for new Eels coach Jason Ryles who has installed Ronald Volkman as his halfback for the Storm clash, and now up to five more games.
“Mitch has had a stress reaction in his left foot,”’ Eels General Manager of Football, Mark O’Neill, said on Thursday.
‘’We have sought independent and expert medical opinions and following this advice Mitch will be in a boot for a few weeks and is expected to miss 6 weeks of football.”
He will spend much of the time in a moon boot to avoid any potential worsening of the injury.
Moses only managed eight games in an injury-plagued 2024 and missed his team’s last seven matches. he hasn’t played in the NRL since round 18 last season.
The injury news comes just over a week after Moses has re-signed with the club on a monster deal until the end of 2029.
Moses is arguably Parramatta’s most important player and will now miss clashes against the Storm, Tigers, Bulldogs, Manly, Dragons and Raiders if he spends the expected six weeks recovering.
Parramatta will unveil star recruit Zac Lomax, who joined the Eels from St George Illawarra, in Sunday’s clash with Melbourne at AAMI Park.
Lomax said he was “super, super excited” about getting a new era of his career underway but was feeling for Moses.
“It’s obviously disappointing. He’s had a great pre-season and it’s the fittest I have seen him in a long time,” he said
“He came in early compared to what he was required. He wanted to hit the ground running, he missed a heap of footy last year.
“He’s a massive loss for us. He’s our captain.
“But we’ve got a next man up mentality. For us it’s about putting in the best performance no matter who fills that spot.
“It’s been a bit of an ongoing thing, he had it last year. He’ll do everything to get right and be back on the field sooner rather than later.”
With our round one clash against the Dolphins now relocated to CommBank Stadium due to the severe weather event in south-east Queensland, let’s look back at our last outing at the venue.
In round 18 of the 2024 season, we faced the Parramatta Eels in challenging conditions, securing a fifth consecutive victory with a commanding 32-16 win. Despite the rain-soaked night, the Rabbitohs controlled the contest from start to finish, delivering a dominant all-round performance.
The 2025 season is kicking off, and our round one clash against the Dolphins has been relocated to Sydney, making it a Rabbitohs home game! This is your chance to pack the stands with red and green. Tickets start at just $30.00 for adults – this is one game you won’t want to miss!
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A Night to Remember at CommBank Stadium
South Sydney continued their winning streak, outmuscling the Parramatta Eels in a rain-drenched contest. The Rabbitohs took control early and never looked back, showing resilience in both attack and defence to record an impressive 32-16 victory.
Latrell Mitchell was the standout performer, delivering a masterclass under the high ball, controlling the tempo with his kicking game, and finishing with a try, two assists, and four conversions. Jack Wighton and Jacob Gagai both crossed for doubles, while Cody Walker and Taane Milne also played key roles in breaking down the Eels’ defence.
South Sydney opened the scoring through Gagai, taking advantage of a Parramatta error deep in their own half. A slick passage of play saw Wighton add to the tally, while Walker’s quick footwork caught the defence off guard just before half-time, giving the Rabbitohs a 16-4 lead at the break.
Parramatta responded early in the second half, but the Rabbitohs quickly regained control as Mitchell slid over in the wet conditions. Gagai’s second try and a late effort from Wighton ensured South Sydney finished the job, claiming their fifth straight win in style.
Key Performers
- Latrell Mitchell – one try, two try assists, three line-break assists, 126 running metres
- Jack Wighton – two tries, one try assist, 126 running metres gained, seven tackle breaks
- Cody Walker – one try, two line-breaks, one line-break assist
- Keaon Koloamatangi – 221 running metres, 37 tackles, 69 minutes
Play of the Game
A mid-field offload from Taane Milne off a regulation hit up would spark the move that saw Souths go 60 metres to score. The ball from Milne found Damien Cook, who quickly shifted the ball to Keaon Koloamatangi on the right edge. Koloamatangi drew in the Eels defenders before releasing the ball to Michael Chee Kam, who would pass to an unmarked Jacob Gagai on the wing. From there it was a simple foot race, with Gagai proving too quick for the Eels defenders to handle. As he met Clint Gutherson at the back, Gagai threw a beautiful right-to-left pass to Jack Wighton – supporting through the middle as any good five-eighth should – who only had to run 20 metres to finish off the exciting move and score.
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