2144superman
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F
Flanno would get dropped playing in the WNRL
Official Dogs sign Reed Mahoney (4 year deal)
- Thread starter amapusae
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Bulldog Wrestler
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Reed Mahoney’s manager says Parramatta knew their star hooker was meeting with officials from a rival club after his client was spotted dining with heavy-hitters from the Bulldogs.
Eels hooker Reed Mahoney’s manager personally rang and told a senior Parramatta official his client was meeting with Canterbury management to avoid potentials dramas.
On Tuesday night, Mahoney was spotted at a Chinese restaurant inside Canterbury Leagues Club with Bulldogs officials, including high-profile general manager of football, Phil Gould.
“I was being transparent,” Mahoney’s agent Sam Ayoub said.
But Ayoub has angrily denied his Eels star was seeking $700,000 a season.
The Bulldogs launched a multimillion-dollar bid to Mahoney over a private dinner.
The Daily Telegraph broke the story online (read below) about the high-powered meetings, which included Mahoney, Ayoub, Gould, Bulldogs head coach Trent Barrett and club chairman John Khoury.
Prior to dinner, Mahoney was given a guided tour of the Bulldogs’ high-performance facilities at Belmore Sports Ground.
“Nothing to report,” Gould told The Daily Telegraph.
“Had a nice dinner with Reed. I wanted him to meet our people. He’s a very impressive young man. No formal offer at this stage. Very much preliminary discussions.
“If Reed shows a genuine interest in being a Bulldog, we would be keen for further the talks. We shall see what the future brings.”
Aware the meeting may attract attention, and make Parramatta uncomfortable, Ayoub rang Eels general manager of football, Mark O’Neill, to be “transparent”. Ayoub also said he was tired of reading inflated figures suggesting Mahoney was chasing $700,000 a season.
“I was being transparent — I let Mark O’Neill know about the meeting,” Ayoub said.
“I didn’t say which club we were meeting but I told him we were meeting with a club on Tuesday night. I do things the right way.
“We didn’t do anything wrong. We even went the extra mile to be transparent by letting Parramatta know. Reed is entitled to do that and they (Parramatta) know that.
“It was legal, we were entitled to do it. It’s important for the fans to know that.
“The only way a player is going to know his worth is by talking to others. The only way I’m going to establish his worth is by talking to clubs.
“And don’t forget, Reed was at Canterbury as a junior (playing under 20s).
“At no stage have we spoken to a club and asked for a figure. We have never, ever suggested or proposed a figure to any club about Reed’s value. We keep reading that Reed is asking for $700,000 a year. All that is doing is misleading Parramatta fans.
“He has never asked for $700,000. He has never asked for a figure, and neither have I and we have maintained that stand. We have not received any offers from any clubs. The figures being report are fiction.
“The meeting was about Reed getting to know whether the club which could potentially be the place that’s viable for him. It’s not just about money – who their coach is, their strengths, roster.”
Ayoub said Mahoney was allowed to talk with rival clubs given the NRL’s November 1 deadline had passed and the player comes off contract at Parramatta after next season.
“It was just a meet and greet,” Ayoub said. “Reed did nothing wrong. The club has shown interest in a player, which they are entitled to do, and it’s something Reed is also entitled to do.
“It’s no different to you going to look for another job to see if it’s viable for you or if it’s better for you, or whether it’s not, or if the money is better. The Bulldogs showed every bit of respect for a good club aiming to be great again.
“Reed hasn’t made a decision. Any club that shows interest is potentially in the equation. He is entitled to consider all the options that are available to him.”
The Daily Telegraph reached out to Gould for comment but he did not respond.
Mahoney told Bulldogs officials at the dinner he wanted to be respectful of Parramatta before reaching a final career decision. He has already been linked to Brisbane, Gold Coast and the newly-formed Dolphins.
He definitely showed improvement across the course of the season, which I think is impressive considering the hole we were in. I thought he really improved in being able to straighten the line, which stops us just going from side to side and running out of space. Very similar to how Ben Hornby played for the dragons (and won a comp at halfback after playing mostly 1 and 6). I also think his durability improved greatly. He was very hesitant in early games, but seemed to get into the grind of weekly football. He made mistakes and ran out of ideas at times, but bigger picture he was putting it together.
All things considered, I found his ability to improve in these two areas impressive. He’s clearly a kid building his game, but I’m keen to see him continue, particularly with the experience under his belt. He seems like a really quick learner to pick up those finer points and apply them in first grade. I think Trent could manufacture a strong half. Time will tell!
Meanwhile, Flanagan hasn’t shown an ounce of improvement, and clearly went backwards each time he played. Not sure how we’ll be able to offload him
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i beleive he has alot of potential in that position, for the teams sake next year lets hope he continues to develop.
2144superman
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GrogDog
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Nope, I would be giving the early 7 jersey to BBO to see what he can do based on our current half options available. I think Tbaz might give it to Flanno though.
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Halfback. What was the point of forcing him into that role this season if we weren't going to play him there? Who's playing instead of him? Another rookie in BBO? Cry baby Flanagan?
GrogDog
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More than happy for him to. I would have given him the #1 this year before Dufty signed. I think Avo would be more of a Inglis type FB had he been given that chance. I just don't see why we would spend the $$$ grabbing Dufty and not using him. The other position I think Avo could do would be centre. Use his size, strength and speed.
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It's an absolutely crazy deal, I rate him as a decent player but I thought he'd be lucky to earn at most half of that.
zappa
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Yep exactly
2144superman
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Warriors are lost ***** LOLLL the whole NZ experiment has been a failure. Take the team to Perth or anther QLD team.
I think Parra genuinely believe they can still be a top 4 team without Mahoney because of the way they finished the year this year without him. Gonna break the bank for Gutho and what even is happening with Papalii?
steveng
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100% what they are thinking!
2144superman
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You weren’t specific about what’s “happening” so on that note you’re technically not wrong. It certainly is “happening”
Jarrad El Hickey
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Imagine letting Papalii go for base pay and signing niukore for 625 a year, Marata can play but fuck me that’s massive overs