mitch moses is being singled out as the player Parramatta need most as they head into a crucial Easter Monday clash with the Wests Tigers at CommBank Stadium. Former star and analyst Matty Johns said the Eels halfback must lift after a mixed start to the 2026 NRL season. Kick-off is set for 4: 05pm AEST, with Parramatta entering the match at 2-2 and searching for momentum.
Johns says the Eels need more from Mitch Moses
Matty Johns made his view clear on Morning Glory with Matty Johns, saying Parramatta need a strong month and that mitch moses has been playing slightly within himself. Johns did not say Moses has been poor, but he stressed the Eels halfback is central to how the team responds over the next stretch of games.
Parramatta’s start has been uneven. Heavy losses to the Melbourne Storm and Penrith Panthers have sat alongside wins over the Brisbane Broncos and St George Illawarra Dragons, leaving Jason Ryles and his coaching staff with a mixed picture as they look to steady the season.
mitch moses and Parramatta’s early-season form
The context around mitch moses matters because Parramatta were widely viewed as a side that needed him fit to unlock their best football in 2026. The issue is not only results, but output: Moses has made two try assists in four games, added three line break assists, and is yet to force a dropout.
His running numbers have also been lower than usual, with 51 metres per game so far, the lowest return of his career since 2018, although the sample size is still small. Last year, he averaged 75 metres per game and kicked for about 100 metres more per game than he has in the opening month of this season.
That drop has fuelled the sense that Parramatta need more than just results from their starting halfback. Johns pointed to the forwards as part of the issue, but his central message remained the same: the Eels need a stronger month, and they need it from Moses as much as anyone.
What the wider conversation is saying
Denan Kemp also flagged Moses as a player under pressure, saying the halfback has had a quiet start to the year and that his running and kicking game have not yet matched the expectations many had when the season began. The Eels’ 2-2 record leaves them with little margin for error as the schedule tightens.
Parramatta’s next few weeks are shaping as a defining block, with games against the Wests Tigers, Titans, Bulldogs and Sea Eagles. If the Eels are to turn that mixed start into something more convincing, mitch moses will need to look closer to the player who has long been viewed as one of the game’s most influential.
What happens next
All eyes now turn to Easter Monday, when Parramatta meet the Wests Tigers in their annual blockbuster at CommBank Stadium. The match offers the Eels an immediate chance to reset, and it gives mitch moses a stage to answer the scrutiny that has followed his quieter opening month.
