Hooker says he’s still unsure why he was dumped by Canterbury

Dumped to the bench in the back half of last season and ultimately cut loose with a year remaining on his Bulldogs deal, Reed Mahoney says he’s still none the wiser over the reason for his fall from favour at Canterbury.

“If you find out, tell me,” the hooker said with a smile on Thursday.

“I’m not sure. Everyone has their own opinion. I won’t say too much. We were going really well … it was what was best for the team at the time, which is fine. I do know it was the toughest part of my career at that stage.”

With the Dogs flying high in the top four, Mahoney was given permission to find another club midway through last year, and was quickly snapped up by North Queensland.

The mid-season arrival of Lachie Galvin, Bailey Hayward’s shift to hooker, and Mahoney’s pending move to the Cowboys meant the 27-year-old became a bit-part player in the run home to the finals.

Galvin, unfairly, became a scapegoat when the Dogs started to splutter, while the reputations of Mahoney and Super League-bound Toby Sexton remained intact.

Mahoney, who averaged 60 minutes in his final year at Canterbury, insists he is an 80-minute player and says he will try to prove that at the Cowboys. He also confirmed discipline had nothing to do with his exit from Belmore.

“I thought last year my discipline was the best it’s been my whole career,” Mahoney said. “It was out of my control in a way. I learned a lot about myself. If anything, I’ve taken it as motivation.