Eels dealt ANOTHER big blow as Mahoney joins rival on bumper deal
The Parramatta Eels have suffered another savage recruitment blow with arch-rivals the Bulldogs poaching gun hooker Reed Mahoney on a four-year deal for 2023 and beyond.
Mahoney informed coach Brad Arthur of his decision on Thursday morning in the latest cruel twist under the Eels’ Roster Management Committe regime.
It comes after the Eels upped the ante in a last ditch bid to retain Mahoney.
The Eels initially low-balled the 23-year-old with a two-year extension worth around $900,000 while the Bulldogs went straight into serious negotiations with a four-year $2.4 million deal.
Parramatta then sharpened their pencil with a three-year offer close to $1.5 million only to lose out to the Dogs.
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It’s also a blow for the Dolphins who were monitoring the situation given Kiwi Test hooker Brandon Smith’s pending decision while the Wests Tigers also continue their search for a hooker with the Josh Hodgson deal off the table for now.
The Eels have borne the brunt of intense criticism for losing backrowers Isaiah Papali’i and Marata Niukore but if the blue and golds also lose Mahoney then it will be open slather on the club’s recruitment and retention strategy.
Fox Sports was told the Eels increased their offer to Mahoney in the past 24 hours.
Mahoney’s agent Sam Ayoub was reluctant to go into detail aside from saying: “We’ve had constructive discussions with Parramatta over the last few months and they’ve again improved their offer slightly in recent days.”
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The irony is Mahoney, 23, initially signed with the Eels from Canterbury-Bankstown’s under 20s in 2018 because the Bulldogs previous management deemed the emerging hooker was unlikely to make it in the NRL.
Since making his debut for the Eels in late 2018 Mahoney has since played 73 NRL matches for Parramatta.
Canterbury-Bankstown are also under pressure from rival NRL clubs surrounding their salary cap for 2023 given the club has been attacking the NRL’s open market with an open cheque book in recent months.
In fairness, we’ve seen Phil Gould do this previously at Penrith and with his experience and network of contacts he is more than capable of finding a way to make it work.
Mahoney has developed into one of the NRL’s premier hookers over the course of the last three seasons to the point where the durable no.9 was selected in the Queensland squad for this year’s State of Origin series.
It’s now a fortnight since Mahoney was spotted at Canterbury Leagues club with general manager Gould and coach Trent Barrett after touring the Bulldogs Belmore headquarters.
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