The Mole: Superstar duel to decide NRL grand final
There will be 34 players running around in the grand final - but everyone knows this comes down to a battle between two.
Whoever wins the duel of superstar halves Nathan Cleary and Mitchell Moses is certain to lead his team to premiership glory.
With some sneaky tips from current and former coaches, expert analysts and a bit of my own input, I've broken down the games of the two playmaking supremos - and predicted how things may play out.
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CLEARY
Strengths
*If given time and space, he is the best half in the NRL and will dominate the game.
*Reads the game like a veteran and has a cool head under pressure.
*Has the knack of knowing when to pass and when to take on the line himself, invariably taking the right options.
*If the Eels put too much heat on him, he will delegate to Luai, who will then have the latitude to do damage.
*His spiral bombs are second to none - he terrorised the Eels the last time the teams met.
Panthers halfback Nathan Cleary. Jason McCawley/Getty Images
Weaknesses
*He could be bustled off his game by Nathan Brown - the Eels' hit man has been chosen for that one reason.
*When the defence rushes him on his inside shoulder, it forces him to kick long as opposed to having time to send his deadly high kicks into orbit. The long kicks are far less dangerous.
MOSES
Strengths
*Probably a metre faster than Cleary over a sprint and that makes him a genuine threat to break the line.
*Smart kicking game - his bombs aren't as dangerous as Cleary's but his long punts are usually accurate.
*Gives his supports time and space with well-timed passes, both long and short.
Mitchell Moses embraces Eels halves partner Dylan Brown after their preliminary final win over the Cowboys. Getty
Weaknesses
*Can be guilty of over-playing his hand, particularly if his team is behind, rather than trying to graft back into the battle.
*When pressured by the defence, he tends to not play straight, especially with his running game. This results in the Eels playing sideways and not going forward.
*Kick pressure can see him forced into error - he booted the ball out on the full twice last week against the Cowboys.
CONCLUSION
Cleary has slightly more class and has the edge in consistency. If they play 10 times, he will probably finish ahead in seven, Moses three.
But with Penrith fielding better support players across the park, a narrow Panthers win (8-10 points) is on the cards.
The 2022 RLPA Dream Team - as voted by every contracted NRL player
