Bulldogs star Reed Mahoney wasn’t keen on hanging around the streets of Belmore when he first arrived at Canterbury

While Reed Mahoney has now embraced the Bulldogs’ fanatical supporters, there was a time the star hooker avoided the streets of Belmore, even snubbing the local team coffee shop.

The streets of Belmore are not for the faint-hearted Canterbury player.

Just ask Bulldogs star Reed Mahoney, who used to avoid stopping for coffee on his way to training when he started at Canterbury.

For years, Bulldogs players have been routinely stopping in at Jobel’s Cafe, only a block away from Belmore Oval, for a hit of caffeine in the morning.

But in 2023, his first year at the club and when the Bulldogs were anchored near the bottom of the ladder, Mahoney left the coffee runs to his teammates.

“I didn’t really stop to get out or get out of the car to get a coffee,” Mahoney revealed.

“At the moment it’s obviously good.

“Winning is good. Winning, it’s fun. It has been great the first five weeks.”

Reed Mahoney admits he used to avoid the streets of Belmore during a rough 2023 season. Picture: Getty Images

Canterbury is home to arguably the most passionate fan base in the NRL.

With that players are forced to ride not only the highs but the lows of results on the football field, and the unsolicited opinions from fans on the streets.

But the resurgence of Canterbury, who sit on top of the NRL ladder, has seen angst from fans turn into street parties and packed crowds.

“(We played the Knights) on a Sunday at 6pm on a school night and there are 25,000 there,” Mahoney said.

“I remember being on the sidelines, signing you a kid’s shirt, and I don’t know what time it would have been after the game, and I asked him ‘don’t you have school tomorrow?’.”

A record crowd for a regular season game is expected for Good Friday’s blockbuster against South Sydney, with around 70,000 fans expected through the turnstiles at Accor Stadium.

Reed Mahoney. Picture: NRL Imagery

“I definitely think we’ve woken them, and you can see some of our attendances at games,” Mahoney said.

“We want to inspire the community and get the community back out to games. There was plenty of loyal dogs fans that just didn’t come to games. So to top the most people at a game in the regular season would be pretty special.

“I think as a club, we’ve earned that over the last couple years. Obviously the Rabbitohs are going really well too so it will be a really great clash on Friday.”

The Bulldogs have arguably the most passionate fan base in the NRL. Picture: Richard Dobson

But winning isn’t only drawing record crowds for the club, it has helped Mahoney overcome the doubts he felt over joining Canterbury back in 2023 having helped Parramatta to a grand final the year before.

“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t believe that,” Mahoney said when asked if he ever felt a sense of regret after joining the club.

“I came from a grand final to basically the wooden spoon.

“It was a blessing in disguise.

“I kind of think that that was probably the biggest lessons for me as a player, and probably more as a person, of how I hold myself and stuff like that.

“That was an extremely tough year. You know, I talk about it a lot with the coach, just how hard it was, and we struggled a lot.

“But sometimes you got to hit rock bottom to just arrive to the top. So we’re heading in that direction, but it’s been really good so far.”

The Bulldogs are undefeated after six rounds so far in 2025. Picture: NRL Imagery

Mahoney has been at the centre of rumours surrounding his future at the club amid speculation his on-field discipline has him on the nose at Canterbury.

Last week this masthead revealed Mahoney, who is signed until the end of 2026, had been shopped to the Cowboys.

But Mahoney is refusing to buy into the speculation or the criticism over his on-field antics.

“Without saying it arrogantly, it (being called a grub) doesn’t have an effect on me,” Mahoney said.

Originally published as Bulldogs star Reed Mahoney wasn’t keen on hanging around the streets of Belmore when he first arrived at Canterbury