Dogs’ delicate call amid obvious Mahoney solution; is this NRL’s next $1m halfback? Hoops

The Bulldogs have got a delicate balancing act in the form of hooker Reed Mahoney as the club looks to smooth the arrival of Lachlan Galvin with the Canterbury-Bankstown playing group.

Mahoney is still contracted at the Bulldogs for next season but as the days go by it’s becoming blatantly obvious the tenacious no.9 clearly isn’t part of the club’s long-term planning.

You can understand the competitor in Mahoney blowing up at getting hooked during the King’s Birthday victory over arch-rivals Parramatta as the dressing room shots on Fox League illustrated.

FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer.

The way we’ve heard it Bulldogs general manager of football Phil Gould has spoken to Mahoney in a bid to clear the air and the club’s position as Canterbury-Bankstown aim to remain united in the charge towards September.

The Cowboys are the obvious solution for next season with NSW Origin hooker Reece Robson moving to the Sydney Roosters and the North Queensland club have opened talks around Mahoney.

How quickly a deal can be done will depend on the Cowboys offer with Mahoney’s deal at the Bulldogs believed to be worth around the $600,000 mark.

There’s no question Mahoney could add value to North Queensland given he’s a durable 80-minute hooker who could provide quality service for Tom Dearden and Jaxon Purdue to create off the back of.

But the price will have to be right and right now the Cowboys are adamant Mahoney’s been priced out of a deal being struck.

Galvin scores on Bulldogs debut! | 03:12

In the meantime the Bulldogs have got to ensure Mahoney doesn’t become disgruntled off the back of the arrival of Galvin – as we saw in the aftermath of Monday’s latest win.

Halfback Toby Sexton handled the Galvin situation strongly when interviewed on Fox League after the Bulldogs chalked up win number ten for the season against the Eels.

It’s clearly a sore point given someone is going to lose their spot in the side but Sexton showed class and if any coach can get it to work and get the playing group invested in the decision it’s the super-impressive Cameron Ciraldo.

But it’s going to be a balancing act for Canterbury-Bankstown keeping Mahoney and Sexton all-in as the Bulldogs charge towards September given both are clearly going to get squeezed out at the end of the season.

Slater defends DCE snub: 'Best for QLD' | 03:23

WARRIORS’ BID TO KEEP POTENTIAL NEXT $1M HALFBACK

The Warriors intend to open talks with in-form halfback Luke Metcalf with a view to ensuring the gun no.7 remains at the Wahs.

Metcalf’s form has been off the Richter this season to the point where there’s no question the Wahs will have to get close to the $1 million per season mark to retain him.

As most arguments begin around rugby league playmakers these days – “if Dylan Brown’s worth $1.4 million per season then what’s this bloke worth?”.

Metcalf enjoys a tight-knit bond with Warriors chief executive Cameron George to the point where the Wahs players have nicknamed him “Luke George”.

That doesn’t necessarily mean a deal will get struck straight away but given the way the Wahs have invested in Metcalf and provided a pathway to making the no.7 jumper his own it’s a strong chance.

Metcalf, 26, has still only played 39 NRL games and had to overcome some heavy injury setbacks with a badly broken leg leading to a rod in his leg.

There were also hamstring problems when he arrived at the Wahs meaning the club sent him over to the US to spend time with re-conditioning guru Bill Knowles.

Buzz & Tallis CLASH over Mam selection | 03:27

This year Metcalf has taken off to the point where he’s gone past Melbourne Storm champion halfback Jahrome Hughes as the best running halfback in the NRL.

According to Fox Sports Stats Metcalf is the NRL’s leading halfback in terms of tries (eight), line breaks (eight), run metres (733m) and points (113).

What it all adds up to is a cracking story on one of the most improved playmakers in the NRL who given the form he’s displayed this season should go very close to becoming rugby league’s next $1 million-a-season halfback.

The next challenge for Metcalf will be to deliver in the big end-of-season games come September. Given what we’ve already seen from him this season we’re tipping he can tick the box.

Click here to read article