The Parramatta Eels have officially delayed the return of Mitchell Moses until at least Round 9, with the halfback continuing to battle in his recovery from a foot injury.
The New South Wales State of Origin star will have just a handful of games to push the case for retention of the number seven jersey he wore in the final two games of last year's series, and will have to watch on as his Parramatta teammates continue to battle in their poor start to the year.
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The Eels, in their first season under the coaching of Jason Ryles, have gone zero and four without Moses to kick-off the campaign, with their latest loss being a far more competitive effort at Brookvale against the Manly Sea Eagles.
The Eels were originally hopeful of Moses being back in Round 6, but thaty timeline, despite him being back to on-field running, has now blown out to Round 9.
It means Moses will likely return for Magic Round, after the club's first bye of the year, with Parramatta set to clash with the Cronulla Sharks in the opening game of the weekend at Suncorp Stadium.
In the meantime, Moses will miss games against the St George Illawarra Dragons, Canberra Raiders and Wests Tigers.
Elsewhere, the Eels have confirmed Joey Lussick was not dropped for the game against the Red V this weekend, but instead has suffered a fractured thumb.
It means he will be out for between six and eight weeks, with the earliest return timeline set at Round 11.
The arrival of Dylan Walker who has gone straight onto the bench, and emergence of Ryley Smith who moves into the starting side, could mean Lussick is no guarantee of returning to the NRL side when he is fit again.
Jack Williams has now also been confirmed for a five-week layoff following a minor surgery on his knee that ruled him out of last weekend's clash, while Luca Moretti has been locked in for his NRL return after an Achilles injury.
