Rugby league legend Benny Elias has dashed Wests Tigers’ hopes of luring his nephew Mitchell Moses, declaring he can’t see the halfback returning to the club he started his NRL career with.

Despite the speculation that a move back to Leichhardt could be on the cards, Elias thinks it would be difficult to persuade Moses given the circumstances he left the club.

Moses signed with the Tigers as a 17-year-old in 2011 and patiently waited three years before making his debut with the club in 2014.

He spent three more seasons with the Tigers before he was granted an early release mid-way through the 2017 season.

“I should be screaming from the roof for the Tigers, but I once upon a time got him over to the Tigers, and they let him go,” Elias told WWOS.

“How do you sell that back to him? I’ve been there, done that. Move on.

“It wasn’t a pretty exit, you know, he left with Aaron Woods and James Tedesco - all three of them left together ... and it’s hard to go back.

“Fool me once, I can cop that, but fool me twice.”

Parramatta announced the signing of Moses’ halves partner Dylan Brown with the Kiwi representative locked in until the end of the 2025 season and an option to stay on until 2031.

The club’s CEO Jim Sarantinos iterated that keeping both Brown and Moses at the Eels is a strong priority.

“Keeping Dylan doesn’t have anything to do with the offer we have for Mitch, not from our perspective,” Sarantinos told the Sydney Morning Herald.

 

“Mitch and Dylan have both been priorities for us and that remains the case.

“Our desire is for Mitch to stay, we’ve made that very clear to him and his manager and hopefully he does stay.”

However the Tigers aren’t the only club that have Lebanese captain on their radar, with the Bulldogs keeping a close eye on him as well.

The Bulldogs’ aggressive recruiting approach has seen the club secure Viliame Kikau, Reed Mahoney and Ryan Sutton for the 2023 season.

Along with the trio they’re reportedly interested in Stephen Crichton and Martin Tauapau.

While the potential combination between Moses and Matt Burton could be formidable, his uncle believes sticking with the blue and gold would be the best option.

“I strongly believe that whether it be in the working environment or the sporting environment ... if you’re happy, you stay there. And it’s easy to stay there if you’re happy,” Elias said.

“He’s been very happy. They’ve been very good to him, and he’s been very good to them. It’s been a very good two-way relationship.

“(Moses with Brown) they’ve got a great combination. They know each other’s personalities, they know each other’s play.

“His No.6 is going to be there for a long time - he’s signed a long-term contract ... he’s put his shoes under the bed.

“We haven’t seen the best of (Moses) yet.”