Mitchell Moses has been ruled out of Parramatta's Saturday clash with Newcastle, the Eels confirmed on Friday. Coach Jason Ryles has flagged a return for the round 14 Monday-night clash with Canterbury, with Blues coach Laurie Daley expected to pick Moses for Origin II at the MCG on 17 June if he plays the Bulldogs game first. The hamstring strain Ryles called a minor issue, and the rehab is tracking to plan. Daley names his Game II squad after the Eels-Bulldogs match. Ethan Strange's clean Origin debut at five-eighth in NSW's 22-20 Game I win has made the No.6 jersey a live contest rather than the Moses-walk-in many expected.
Ryles on the Recovery
Ryles told reporters in Sydney on Friday that the injury is at the softer end of the hamstring scale and that Parramatta's medical staff are monitoring rehabilitation progress through the week. "It's quite a minor issue actually, I don't anticipate it will take too long," Ryles said. "He could potentially play against the Bulldogs, but I'm not certain what Laurie has planned, that decision rests with him." Moses was the Blues' starting five-eighth nominee before the second-to-last training session of the Game I camp, when the hamstring went. This is the second straight Origin campaign in which Moses has entered Blues camp and exited with a soft-tissue injury, a pattern Ryles dismissed as coincidence. Parramatta's injury list now sits at nine players. Jonah Pezet is out a month with his own hamstring strain. Junior Paulo had played eight to ten weeks with a meniscus tear before going under the knife and is out until later this year.
Daley's Game II Headache
Daley flagged in Sydney on Thursday that Moses would be considered for the Game II squad regardless of the club return, provided the Eels' medical staff sign off. The contest for the No.6 jersey is now Strange or Moses, with both halfback options Nathan Cleary and Mitchell Moses available. Cleary's man-of-the-match performance in the wet at Accor stadium, including the kick that produced James Tedesco's match-winning try, makes the halfback selection a lock. The five-eighth jersey is the only call. Strange went a clean 12-from-12 on completions, ran for 84 metres, and was the calmest player in green when the rain came in the second half. Daley has the luxury of two top-shelf options for one position. Tom Trbojevic remains the 19th-man fallback if a backline body goes down on the eve of the game.
Where the Markets Land
Game II markets at the MCG sit NSW $1.75 head-to-head with the line at -1.5 across our reviewed bookmakers dabble, Ladbrokes and Picklebet. Queensland $2.15 the head-to-head. Series odds have NSW at $1.45 to take the series, Queensland $2.70. The five-eighth selection markets price Moses at $1.65 to be the named Game II No.6, Strange at $2.15 to retain. Wally Lewis Medal Game II markets sit Cleary $7 favourite, Munster $9, Tedesco $11, Strange $13, Moses $15. NRL premiership markets are unaffected with Penrith holding $3.50 favourite ahead of Saturday's Round 14 slate. Eels' finals odds drift slightly to $4.50 on the depth of the injury list. The Newcastle head-to-head opens Eels $2.40, Knights $1.60 with Moses out and Pezet on the long-term list. Full hamstring update and Eels round 14 selection news via ABC Sport.