Eels hooker Reed Mahoney tipped for big 2019 NRL campaign

As the NRL season rapidly approaches, several clubs have dummy-half dilemmas to solve. But thanks to an up and coming dynamo, Parramatta fans have much to look forward to.

Damien Cook’s breakout season last year is only the tip of the iceberg and the South Sydney hooker is still not playing at his full potential.

According to Fox League analyst Michael Ennis the incumbent New South Wales hooker needs to work on his decision making.

“He has a lot of improvement in him, particularly inside the attacking twenty, in terms of his pass selection and that temperament of when to go and how deep into the line he goes before he ball-plays and the right ­options to take there,” he said.

“I’m really interested to see what Wayne (Bennett) has done in this area. He was super fit and he was jumping out of the blocks. He couldn’t be contained early on but at the back end of the year it just started to ­deteriorate a bit.”

Rabbitohs hooker Damien Cook still has room to improve. Picture: AAP

Bennett isn’t the only coach with a dummy-half dilemma on his hands.

At Belmore, Dean Pay must roll the dice on his first choice No.9 in 2019 — a position that has proven problematic for the Bulldogs in the past.

“Pay is under pressure to get this position right. This is where the Dogs are struggling, in that they haven’t been able to turn this position into a point of attack. He went back and forth between Jeremy Marshall-King and Michael Lichaa last year,” Ennis said.

Will Michael Lichaa be the Bulldogs’ No. 9 in 2019? Picture: Alix Sweeney

“Who he goes with and how he has changed their game plan will be interesting. It has been so forward dominated for so long now with big front rowers touching the ball inside the attacking 10- and 20-metre zone. It really has been their Achilles heel.

“He needs to be encouraging his hookers to be more active. If they continue to be stagnant at dummy half and just feed the ball, the pressure that forces on to Kieran Foran will be enormous.”

Ennis has been keeping a close eye on up and coming Eels dynamo Reed Mahoney and says “he’ll be a real ­surprise packet in 2019”.

“I really like young Mahoney. I watched Parramatta train the other day and I watched his games at the back end of last year,” he said.

Reed Mahoney is tipped to gave a big season for the Eels. Picture: AAP

“He’s just got so much energy, he loves the contact and loves competing. The foundations of his game are really strong and I can see him having a big career.”

Over at the foot of the mountains, new Penrith coach Ivan Cleary will need to decide between Wayde Egan and Sione Katoa.

While Katoa ended the season as the first-choice hooker, Ennis says Egan should get the nod ahead of Katoa as he is a better foil to halves James Maloney and Nathan Cleary.

“Sometimes when you have really experienced and dominant halves, as a young hooker you can almost through unselfishness feel like the halves have to have the ball all the time and you distribute more rather than attack,” he said.

“Even though they have Cleary and Maloney, they actually need an active dummy half to take pressure off them.

“I think Egan is that guy. With Egan we’ll see a lot more attack from dummy half in terms of him getting out and playing deep into the line with that speed of his.

“I’ll be intrigued with which way Cleary goes this year because it will be an indication on how he wants them to play.”

Every game of every round of the NRL Telstra Premiership LIVE with no ad-breaks during play. SIGN UP NOW!