'He helped me get to where I am': How Moses inspired Rajab's NRL rise
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Bulldogs rookie Khaled Rajab has credited Eels halfback Mitchell Moses for helping to ready him for the NRL as the Lebanon World Cup team-mates prepare to go head to head in Monday’s I4Give Cup at Accor Stadium.
Rajab, who made his NRL debut against Sydney Roosters last Sunday, played alongside Moses at the World Cup after Adam Doueihi was sent off in the opening game and suspended.
While he had played most of the season in Jersey Flegg before being called into Canterbury’s NSW Cup side for the grand final, Moses took Rajab under his wing and the pair combined to steer the Cedars to a World Cups quarter-final berth.
“The first time Mitchell Moses came into camp with us, he took me aside and started breaking down what he would do in a situation and how he plays as a half,” Rajab told NRL.com.
“He just let me learn off him and I was pretty much just learning the whole time.
“Playing at the World Cup with those big name players that played in the NRL like Mitchell Moses, Adam Doueihi and Jacob Kiraz gave me a lot of confidence.
"They pretty much helped me to get where I am now."
Rajab firing up
At the time, the 2022 Canterbury Jersey Flegg captain didn’t have an NRL contract but Rajab’s impressive World Cup campaign confirmed he had a bright future in the game.
Rajab and Kiraz returned to pre-season training at Belmore together and he made an emotional debut against the Roosters last weekend, with family, friends and Cedars team-mates supporting him.
“The Lebanon boys have got a group chat and they were all just saying congratulations and sending me their support. It felt good,” he said.
“I was just hoping to even get one game, whether it was early in the year or later in the year, so I am extremely grateful.
“I wasn't expecting it when they told me at first. I just thought I would play NSW Cup and work on my game and then we had a team meeting where they broke the news to me and I was just over the moon to tell my family.
“All the boys came down and all my family and cousins came down and it was a mad atmosphere. It’s probably the highlight of my life so far.
“I usually zone out in the games but with the crowd there and my family there I just heard them the whole way. The support was amazing.”
Among those supporting him from the sidelines was Kiraz, who was disappointed to miss the match against the Roosters due to injury but will return for the derby clash with Parramatta.
“I knew what a special talent he was, even just training with him last year and at the World Cup he was honestly one of the best players when he came on,” Kiraz said.
“It was hard for him to start because we had Mitch Moses and Adam Doueihi but I always just kept telling him to keep pushing, keep playing good, and trust me you are going to get there because he is talented, as we all know.
“It is good that he is there now, and I am so happy to be playing alongside him.”
Kiraz played 15 NRL matches in his rookie season last year but he was considered a senior member of the Cedars squad, which mainly comprised of players from the NSW Cup and some Lebanese domestic players.
The 21-year-old, who played fullback, relished the experience and the opportunity to play against New Zealand and Australia in the quarter-final at Huddersfield.
“Last year was a big year for me, everything happened so quick and to find out I was going to the World Cup and playing for my heritage, which I am strongly proud of, it was one of the best trips of my life," Kiraz said.
“It hits different when you are playing for the same culture and I had the best time there. I got put at the back and I loved it. I loved playing with all the boys and it helped my confidence too.
"I had to be a bit of a leader there too, because there was only me and a couple of boys who played NRL.
“I kept saying in the back of my head, I am only a young person and I have only played 15 games last year, but the World Cup gave me so much confidence to bring my leadership qualities and show who I am."
