NRL Transfers: Dolphins could leave Eels in a vulnerable position with Junior Paulo and Reed Mahoney

One big-money deal has put these players firmly in a position of power when it comes to negotiating their upcoming contracts.

Parramatta’s fight to lock down off contract stars Junior Paulo and Reed Mahoney sooner rather than later has inadvertently hit another major roadblock as a direct result of Tino Fa’asuamaleaui’s re-signing with Gold Coast.

In another clear example of the domino effect of the NRL player market, what it means is that both Paulo and Mahoney will now be in absolutely no rush to recommit as their worth continues to be pushed up by simple case of supply and demand.

Fa’asuamaleaui was another of the main targets on Wayne Bennett’s hit list for NRL newcomers the Dolphins, who are now becoming increasingly desperate to land a big fish.

Could Junior Paulo end up signing with the Dolphins?

The Dolphins have previously missed out on the likes of Cody Walker and Harry Grant among others, while Reagan Campbell-Gillard, Christian Welsh and Pat Carrigan were all on their big men wish list.

But with the available talent pool fast running out of players who are ranked in that top echelon, Paulo is undisputedly the No 1 middle forward left on the open market for the 2023 season.

The top talent overall would have to be Newcastle’s Kalyn Ponga who has an option in his favour, and is said to be in talks with the Dolphins to become their marquee man.

The other big player in the market is Melbourne’s Brandon Smith.

In Mahoney’s case, he is also in ongoing talks with the Bulldogs who have made no secret of their interest after he was snapped having a feed with Phil Gould and Trent Barrett recently.

But Mahoney could also become a key target for the Dolphins depending on what eventuates with Smith’s meetings with the Sydney Roosters this week.

Reed Mahoney’s future beyond 2022 is still yet to be resolved.

Smith’s agent Stan Martin maintains that the Dolphins and Titans are among four rival clubs still in the fight to sign the Storm star, along with the Cowboys and Titans.

But growing speculation within the league community is that it is the Roosters who still pose the biggest threat to the Dolphins, as Smith prepares to sit down to dinner with Trent Robinson during his tour of the Roosters’ headquarters this week.

But if the Dolphins end up missing out again, Mahoney could be heading towards a payday he might have never imagined possible.

Player agent Sam Ayoub, who acts on behalf of Paulo and Mahoney, did not want to comment when contacted.

But it makes perfect sense to assume that with the market rapidly drying up, supply and demand will dictate salaries from here on.

And this is why the Eels could end up regretting their casual pace.

Tino Fa'asuamaleaui has signed a massive deal to stay with the Titans.

Veteran Canberra recruitment chief Peter Mulholland predicted when the Dolphins got the green light for 2023 that it would lead to record NRL player salaries in the coming months.

And this was before the Eels were accused of trying to lowball their off contract stars after losing Isaiah Papali’i to Wests Tigers and Marata Niukore to the Warriors.

Only this week Parramatta chairman Sean McElduff felt compelled to come out and publicly slam those suggestions of lowballing as “absurd”.

Regardless, the Eels might still end up regretting not going harder earlier to lock down Paulo and Mahoney given how the dominoes have now fallen.