Mitchell Moses has told Parramatta’s rivals he will be staying put at the Eels, ending months of speculation around his future and offering long-term security to his club.
Moses made the call hours out from the grand-final rematch against Penrith and a month after the round-one deadline he had set himself in the off-season.
But coach Brad Arthur was still in the dark before the Panthers game, saying he and the team had yet to be informed of the decision.
“Unless Mitch has got news for us later in the team meeting, we haven’t been told that yet,” he said.
The 28-year-old already had an option in his favour for next season, but the new deal will keep him at the Eels long-term.
The extension comes after Moses was offered significantly more money to move back to Wests Tigers, the joint-venture club hoping he would turn their fortunes around.
The Sydney Roosters were forced to deny speculation this week they were interested in the playmaker, while Canterbury were at one stage another potential suitor.
At different stages Moses also hit back at suggestions he was greedy or handing too much power to his management, as Parramatta slipped to an 0-3 start.
But Moses decided to stay loyal to the Eels.
His signature comes after five-eighth Dylan Brown signed a new deal with the NRL club in January, locking him in until 2025 with an option in the playmaker’s favour to extend it to 2031.
Fullback Clint Gutherson and coach Brad Arthur are also with the Eels until the end of 2025.
With Moses as its halfback, Parramatta has won 76 of 134 games since his mid-season arrival from the Tigers in 2017, with the high point being last year’s grand-final appearance.
Moses had starred on the run to that decider, including missing the birth of his first child to play in the preliminary-final win over North Queensland.
-AAP
