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March 12, 2020 4:25pm
James HooperFOX SPORTS
The Bulldogs could have kept a star hooker for just $1500. Instead they cut him loose to join rival club
Premiership-winning hooker Michael Ennis says the re-signing of Reed Mahoney (pictured) is a priority for Eels coach Brad Arthur.
Eels live wire Reed Mahoney has an added incentive to carve Canterbury-Bankstown up out of dummy-half tonight – the Bulldogs showed him the door at Belmore back in 2016.
When Mahoney was a rookie No. 9 pushing to get a crack in the NRL after moving to Sydney from the Sunshine Coast, Canterbury-Bankstown decided he wasn’t going to make it.
The Dogs could have kept Mahoney for just $1500 but instead opted to cut him loose midway through the under 20s season.
So arch-rivals Parramatta swooped in and signed the Kawana Dolphins junior to his first contract for $6000.
The Eels moved Mahoney into the same club-sanctioned house where young gun Dylan Brown was also staying, a home away from home for emerging NRL rookies set-up in western Sydney.
Mahoney, now 21, quickly adjusted. After playing in the Eels under 20s grand final loss in 2017, an injury crisis at Parramatta then earned him a crack in the NRL the following season.
The Eels dummy-half played nine games at the back end of 2018 before going on to play every NRL match for the blue and golds last year.
The dagger-in-the-heart for the Bulldogs legion of supporters will be the club’s form line of letting quality No. 9’s walk away from Belmore.
Go back as far as Michael Ennis, who went on to win a premiership with Cronulla in 2016, or current South Sydney and NSW State of Origin hooker Damien Cook.
Fox League analyst Ennis is an unabashed Mahoney fan and predicts the Eels hooker has the all-round dummy-half game to kick on to representative honours for Queensland.
It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when,” Ennis said.
“Reed’s development in the last 12 months has been beyond rapid to the point where he’s knocking on the door to Kevin Walters’ Queensland Origin side.
“His service from dummy-half is superb but it’s his will to compete and to win that means Parramatta simply have to make him a priority signing.”
Recently retired South Sydney champion Sam Burgess opened the conversation about Mahoney on NRL360 on Wednesday night when he stated: “Reed Mahoney, great player, works hard, can he win a comp?”
It’s a pointed and very fair question.
NRL360 host Ben Ikin responded by stating if Brad Arthur is prepared to be patient with his key position players Clint Gutherson, Dylan Brown, Mitchell Moses and Mahoney, then the Eels can absolutely end the NRL’s longest premiership drought.
“I see glimpses of Cameron Smith in Reed Mahoney in the sense that it’s just not pass or run for him,” Ikin said.
“He’s thinking about how he can work with the forwards around him. Given time together if Brad Arthur can be patient then they can absolutely make claims to a premiership.”
As much as the Maroons love incumbent Ben Hunt and Roosters co-captain Jake Friend could easily handle the step-up, there’s a view Mahoney is the future for Queensland.
The Eels are currently in negotiations to try and get Mahoney locked-up at the club long-term.
They’ve got Dylan Brown signed, they’ve got Shaun Lane signed, now Mahoney is the final piece of key position player roster management.
https://coupler.foxsports.com.au/ap...06a16859b504bfda175?__twitter_impression=true
James HooperFOX SPORTS
The Bulldogs could have kept a star hooker for just $1500. Instead they cut him loose to join rival club
Premiership-winning hooker Michael Ennis says the re-signing of Reed Mahoney (pictured) is a priority for Eels coach Brad Arthur.
Eels live wire Reed Mahoney has an added incentive to carve Canterbury-Bankstown up out of dummy-half tonight – the Bulldogs showed him the door at Belmore back in 2016.
When Mahoney was a rookie No. 9 pushing to get a crack in the NRL after moving to Sydney from the Sunshine Coast, Canterbury-Bankstown decided he wasn’t going to make it.
The Dogs could have kept Mahoney for just $1500 but instead opted to cut him loose midway through the under 20s season.
So arch-rivals Parramatta swooped in and signed the Kawana Dolphins junior to his first contract for $6000.
The Eels moved Mahoney into the same club-sanctioned house where young gun Dylan Brown was also staying, a home away from home for emerging NRL rookies set-up in western Sydney.
Mahoney, now 21, quickly adjusted. After playing in the Eels under 20s grand final loss in 2017, an injury crisis at Parramatta then earned him a crack in the NRL the following season.
The Eels dummy-half played nine games at the back end of 2018 before going on to play every NRL match for the blue and golds last year.
The dagger-in-the-heart for the Bulldogs legion of supporters will be the club’s form line of letting quality No. 9’s walk away from Belmore.
Go back as far as Michael Ennis, who went on to win a premiership with Cronulla in 2016, or current South Sydney and NSW State of Origin hooker Damien Cook.
Fox League analyst Ennis is an unabashed Mahoney fan and predicts the Eels hooker has the all-round dummy-half game to kick on to representative honours for Queensland.
It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when,” Ennis said.
“Reed’s development in the last 12 months has been beyond rapid to the point where he’s knocking on the door to Kevin Walters’ Queensland Origin side.
“His service from dummy-half is superb but it’s his will to compete and to win that means Parramatta simply have to make him a priority signing.”
Recently retired South Sydney champion Sam Burgess opened the conversation about Mahoney on NRL360 on Wednesday night when he stated: “Reed Mahoney, great player, works hard, can he win a comp?”
It’s a pointed and very fair question.
NRL360 host Ben Ikin responded by stating if Brad Arthur is prepared to be patient with his key position players Clint Gutherson, Dylan Brown, Mitchell Moses and Mahoney, then the Eels can absolutely end the NRL’s longest premiership drought.
“I see glimpses of Cameron Smith in Reed Mahoney in the sense that it’s just not pass or run for him,” Ikin said.
“He’s thinking about how he can work with the forwards around him. Given time together if Brad Arthur can be patient then they can absolutely make claims to a premiership.”
As much as the Maroons love incumbent Ben Hunt and Roosters co-captain Jake Friend could easily handle the step-up, there’s a view Mahoney is the future for Queensland.
The Eels are currently in negotiations to try and get Mahoney locked-up at the club long-term.
They’ve got Dylan Brown signed, they’ve got Shaun Lane signed, now Mahoney is the final piece of key position player roster management.
https://coupler.foxsports.com.au/ap...06a16859b504bfda175?__twitter_impression=true
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