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"Opposite direction": Questions mount after Bulldogs' brutal Mahoney axing
Sam Kosack • September 10th, 2025 4:16 pm
Reed Mahoney has reportedly been dropped by coach Cameron Ciraldo in a major shake-up ahead of the Bulldogs’ qualifying final against the Melbourne Storm.
Mahoney has been on the outer at the Bulldogs this season and has been relegated to the bench since Round 23 in favour of Bailey Hayward.
The Bulldogs’ former captain was granted permission to negotiate with rivals' mid-season, ultimately signing with the North Queensland Cowboys on a three-year deal.
The structure around the Bulldogs’ spine has been in regular flux since the arrival of Lachlan Galvin, who replaced halfback Toby Sexton when they were atop the NRL ladder.
Since then, Galvin and Hayward have been preferred over Sexton and Mahoney respectively, with Sexton reportedly the probable replacement for Mahoney on the bench.
Reacting to the news, SEN’s Denan Kemp struggled to understand why Mahoney had fallen so far out of favour, given he believes he is still the best hooker at the club.
“Would it be an admission if Sexton is brought back into the starting side that maybe it was too soon to make big changes in the key positions?” Kemp asked on SEN 1170 Afternoons.
“All I see in the Mahoney situation is a really good solid nine that sometimes he might make the wrong decision, but he's the best nine at the club.
“He's reliable, he's fit as anything, he leads the line speed, got good service from dummy half.
“I was of the opposite direction. I was saying bring Mahoney into nine, either start Hayward at 13 or 14, but now he’s potentially all the way out of the side.
“I watched the Bulldogs game as closely as anything, and I just don't see what he's doing so wrong to not be starting.
“Throw any Mahoney stat you've got, I'll give you the stat that matters. They were on top of the table, and that's the only stat that matters in my opinion.
“Let's say an alien was to come down, and you told the alien, this is the amount of changes to key positions that happened at the Bulldogs since they were on top of the table. Even if he knew nothing about rugby league, he'd be like, that's a lot of changes, especially in a game that is built on combinations and time together.”
The Bulldogs take on the Storm in the first game of the finals on Friday night, with the Storm missing Jahrome Hughes and Ryan Papenhuyzen to injury.
