Paul Crawley: $1.3m Moses double standard in Latrell debate; Andrew Johns push exposes Blues’ Origin debacle

Why doesn’t Mitchell Moses cop the same tough questions over the value for money he is giving Parramatta compared to the criticism constantly directed at Latrell Mitchell?

It’s a legitimate debate ahead of Thursday night’s clash between the Eels and Rabbitohs, where Moses is set to play his first club game since round 11.

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Latrell has been absolutely hammered these last few days in the wake of his latest injury setback.

Everywhere you look there is a debate going on questioning whether the Rabbitohs superstar is still worth marquee money.

But if we’re going to judge Latrell on the bang for buck he provides the Bunnies, surely we should be having the exact same conversation about Moses.

I did the sums this week and was stunned by what I found.

Based on their reported salaries compared to the number of games they have played since the start of the 2024 season, Moses has effectively cost Parramatta about $123,000 a game.

Meanwhile, Latrell’s deal at Souths works out at roughly $100,000 a game.

While Latrell is reportedly on around $1.1 million annually, Moses is listed to be on $1.3 million.

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That means the player earning $200,000 more per season has actually provided less value for money based purely on availability.

Yet despite all the criticism aimed at Latrell, I haven’t heard a whisper about whether the Eels are getting value for money from their captain.

It only strengthens the argument that Latrell is often judged more harshly than other players for whatever reason.

While Mitchell has copped it from pillar to post, the stats show Moses has actually played only one more game than Latrell since the start of 2024.

Latrell has been limited to nine games this year because of a back injury.

He was expected back this week only to suffer a related calf injury at training on Monday that is expected to rule him out for another month.

Meanwhile, Moses has played 11 games so far after missing a large chunk of the season with a hamstring injury.

His only appearance over the past five weeks was for NSW in State of Origin II.

Then go back and look at the previous two seasons.

Moses managed just eight games in 2024 and 13 games in 2025.

That’s 21 club games across those two years.

In that same period, Latrell has played 22 games _ 11 games in 2024 and 11 in 2025.

Yet one player is routinely labelled injury-prone while the other largely escapes the same scrutiny.

Another factor worth considering is that Moses is already 31 and contracted until the end of 2029 after recommitting to Parramatta at the start of last year.

Latrell is still only 29.

And on the subject of giving bang for their buck, let’s also look at the impact both players have on their team when they actually get on the field.

Despite moving from fullback to centre, Mitchell’s attacking numbers are still off the charts.

In his nine games this season he’s scored 116 points, crossed for 11 tries, produced seven try assists, 10 line breaks and 10 line-break assists.

In comparison, in 11 games Moses has 61 points, one try, seven try assists, one line break and 11 line-break assists.

Again, this is not a criticism of Moses who is a champion halfback and makes a huge difference when he is available for the Eels.

But I’m simply highlighting how influential Latrell continues to be whenever he is on the field.

I’m not arguing that Latrell’s injury record shouldn’t be part of future contract discussions.

But if we’re going to question whether Latrell deserves marquee money, let’s at least apply the same standards to other star players.

FORGET JOEY, IVAN’S THE MAN NSW NEED NEXT YEAR

I’ve noticed in recent weeks how Penrith coach-in-waiting Peter Wallace has been caught on several occasions banging on the glass window of the Panthers coaching box at crucial moments during games.

It’s rare that you see an assistant coach sitting alongside the head coach showing such raw emotion, especially when Ivan Cleary is sitting beside him in his typically reserved manner.

This is certainly not a criticism of Wallace.

If anything, it suggests to me Penrith’s succession plan is already well underway.

Which brings me to the point I want to make here.

The NSW Rugby League should move heaven and earth to try and get Cleary to coach the Blues next year.

This week yet again the debate has centred on another former champion player who has never coached at the elite level in Andrew Johns.

In fairness to Joey, it was Matty Johns who threw up the idea before Andrew shot it down.

The game’s eighth Immortal said in his Sydney Morning Herald column: “It would be incredibly selfish for me to pursue, because it’s such an unknown.

“And really, do NSW want to take a punt on someone with such limited experience, who has no experience at all of what it’s like to be a head coach?

“I’ve never coached before. I’ve never had any ambition to coach. And I haven’t suddenly been struck by a burning desire to do it either, which I think you need.”

Joey should be applauded for his honesty.

But it also highlights the ridiculous position NSW finds itself in.

Why are we continually debating former champion players with little or no coaching experience when the most successful coach in the game today _ who also happens to have the best relationship with NSW’s star playmaker _ is sitting right under our nose?

It absolutely does my head in that current NRL coaches are not allowed to coach Origin or the Kangaroos.

Yet we expect clubs to release their best players for representative football while the best coaches are automatically excluded.

With all indications this will be Laurie Daley’s final series, it would be madness if Cleary is not given first crack at the job.

And you’d think Ivan would jump at the opportunity to help Nathan produce his best football and put this Origin argument to bed once and for all.

For all the criticism Nathan still receives about his Origin record, no one understands his game better than his father.

And no one knows how to build a team around his strengths better than his old man.

If NSW is serious about getting the most out of its champion halfback, why wouldn’t it want the coach who has already guided him to so much success at Penrith?

The timing could also be perfect when you factor in Wallace has already been anointed as Cleary’s successor for 2028.

Why not at least ask the question?

As much as I would love to see Johns have a crack at coaching Origin one day because it would make for unbelievable theatre, NSW has already rolled the dice on former champion players with limited coaching experience through both Daley and Brad Fittler.

Surely it’s time to go in a different direction.

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