NRL: Moon's fortunes in the ascent - Inu's still waning

Joel Moon. Photo / Getty Images

Joel Moon has had to wait a while for a second chance. So long, in fact, that yesterday's revelation he would return at centre for the Warriors to face the Bulldogs on Friday night felt like a significant lunar event.

Initially slated as Brent Tate's long-term replacement at right centre, the 23-year-old Queenslander was dropped just three matches into the season and has been eclipsed by a succession of teammates ever since.

A journalist coined the phrase "Vulcanised" to describe the fate of players dropped from the Warriors to feeder club Auckland Vulcans. Moon had been gone so long it seemed more like he had been vaporised.

Having already blown out when tried as a five-eighth in 2009 and again briefly in 2010, Moon's card appeared to have been clearly marked after this season's early failures. Exactly what was written next to his name will never be known, however "use only in emergency" was the widely accepted assumption.

Given that Simon Mannering, Elijah Taylor and the curiously absent Krisnan Inu all remained viable options to replace the injured Lewis Brown on Friday night, that assumption appears to have been false.

Never much one for pontificating on his selections, coach Ivan Cleary wasn't in the mood to shed much light on Moon's recall yesterday.

Moon had performed well in the NSW Cup and had earned his recall.

"He has played good footy," Cleary said. "He is the best man for the job. He was there earlier in the season, he has done the job before and I am sure he can do it [on Friday]."

Cleary did elaborate a little, saying that Moon - who will be released by the club at the end of the season - had been close to a recall on several occasions but things had never quite fallen his way.

The main thing coming Moon's way on Friday night will be 115kg Bulldogs centre Jamal Idris. The presence of the massive Idris goes some way to explaining Moon's reappearance.

Fingered as a culprit in the flaky edge defence displayed in the season-opening three-match losing run, Moon is in fact a more than capable tackler. His struggles have had more to do with reading and decision-making. While Idris poses a massive physical challenge, the plan will be fairly simple - get up fast and shut down his time to stop him gaining any momentum.

"I think Moony can handle [Idris]," Cleary said. "One of his strengths is front-on defence.

"Obviously, it is a good opportunity for him so I think he'll bring a fair bit."

Opportunity is certainly knocking for a player who has been loosely linked to the Canberra Raiders but is still without a firm destination for next season.

"I haven't got a contract yet so obviously this is a good way to get one," Moon said. "The last eight weeks [of the season] is crucial to my career. It is all up to me now."

Whether Moon gets that long to impress remains to be seen. He certainly doesn't need any reminders of how fickle his chosen career can be.

Inu, one of the team's better performers throughout the middle part of the season, is also no stranger to the vagaries of selection. A slightly flaky but ultimately reliable performer on the wing for 12 consecutive matches, Inu was hailed as a natural centre when he was switched to the graveyard position for the round 15 defeat by the Cowboys in Townsville.

That experiment lasted just the one match. Inu hasn't been sighted since.

"He's just down there sitting on a mat," Cleary said when asked where Inu was.

Asked to explain why the devout Mormon should find himself in such purgatory, Cleary said: "He knows. He has a few things to work on there."

Mt Smart Stadium, 8.30pm Friday

WARRIORS
Kevin Locke
Bill Tupou
Joel Moon
Shaun Berrigan
Manu Vatuvei
James Maloney
Shaun Johnson
Russell Packer
Aaron Heremaia
Jacob Lillyman
Feleti Mateo
S. Mannering (c)
Micheal Luck

BULLDOGS
Ben Barba
Steve Turner
Josh Morris
Jamal Idris
Jonathon Wright
Kris Keating
Trent Hodkinson
Aiden Tolman
Dene Halatau
Sam Kasiano
Frank Pritchard
Andrew Ryan
David Stagg

Warriors: Lance Hohaia, Sam Rapira, Ben Matulino, Elijah Taylor, Steve Rapira.

Bulldogs: Greg Eastwood, Martin Taupau, Gary Warburton, Ben Roberts.