He was touted as a potential State of Origin player from the moment he debuted for the Penrith Panthers, and 2016 was the year that Matt Moylan debuted for the NSW VB Blues.
NSW has plenty of depth at the fullback position, which is why before the opening Origin match, most of the talk was directed at who would wear the number 1 jersey for the VB Blues. James Tedesco, Lachlan Coote and Josh Dugan were among the contenders, but by Game I, Moylan was selected in Laurie Daley’s team to take on Queensland at ANZ Stadium.
It was a spirited debut for Moylan, who injected himself in the contest whenever he could and posed a dangerous threat any time he was around the ball, and he was also safe at the back. The same can be said for the second game he played, but after being down 2-0 in the series, Daley opted for Tedesco at fullback in Game III, which in hindsight was a brilliant choice.
Tedesco had an exceptional debut, but it was Moylan’s shift to five-eighth that got the best out of him in the Origin arena. Game III was Moylan’s best match by far, and he set up the Blake Ferguson linebreak that led to the Michael Jennings try on the buzzer. He also made a linebreak himself and set up yet another, and got his tackle-break count up to seven for the series.
Matt Moylan:
Origins: 3 (2016)
2016 Matches: 3 (Game I, II and III)
Linebreaks: 1
Linebreak Assists: 2
Tackle-Breaks: 7
