Moses backs new halves partner and youthful spine

Jason Ryles has named his side for Saturday's final trial against the Roosters, with Mitchell Moses and Jonah Pezet to debut their new halves pairing.

Although signed for this season only, Pezet's arrival comes as Parramatta enters a new phase with a youthful core after the dramatic departure of Dylan Brown last season.

Excluding Moses, the Eels' spine has just 62 NRL games of experience, while Moses alone has played 238 first-grade matches — more than three times the rest of the spine combined.

Young fullback Isaiah Iongi had been the first injection of youth into the spine, with Moses saying the transition has gone smoothly after another pre-season.

“I obviously had a year under my belt with Izzy (Iongi) last year, and not much phases the kid, you know what I mean?" Moses told SEN radio

“He's very calm, he's very collected, and just at the back, he does what he needs, and he's busy.

“Our combination's been working well. He had some good touches in the trial on the weekend.”

As one of the competition's most experienced halfbacks, Moses said his focus remains on guiding the club's younger players while chasing team success.

“Obviously, I want to win a comp,” Moses said, “that's the main thing.

“Anywhere I can help the younger boys at the moment, we've got a really young squad at the moment, so, anywhere I can help them and make them a better footy player, or make our team a better footy team, that's probably where I'm going to get the most joy out of.

“It's more just playing good footy for Parramatta and trying to help out whoever I can at the club, and then on the back of that, individual honours come.”

Ryles, now in his second pre-season and third season at the club, has a previous connection with Pezet from their time at the Melbourne Storm, where the young playmaker featured in finals football last year.

Moses said Pezet has adapted quickly since arriving, bringing the confidence and spark the Eels needed in the halves for his one-season stint.

“He's fit right in with what we're trying to do at the club.

“He's a very confident kid, very loud, we found that out on day one since he's been there, and he's been really good for us.

“We've been linking up pretty well at training. He loves his footy, I love my footy, so it's been a pretty easy transition.

“It's what we needed, you know what I mean?

“I think we needed someone with a strong personality in that position who will take chances.

“He played in big games at Melbourne last year, (he) played in that semi-finals (and was) probably Melbourne's best player.

“It's just that little bit of big game experience that we needed, and he's going to come in, do a job for us, but he's not very shy to speak what he thinks, and it's very good. It's what you need in half.”

For Parramatta, the immediate focus is the new halves partnership, with Moses expressing strong confidence in Pezet's personality and ability to handle the role.