Reed Mahoney was ‘not too sure’ about the appointment of Cameron Ciraldo as Bulldogs coach

Canterbury hooker Reed Mahoney admits he originally wasn’t sold on the appointment of Cameron Ciraldo at the Bulldogs. He now has no doubts head coach will help deliver the club’s first title in more than two decades.

Canterbury hooker Reed Mahoney has admitted he wasn’t originally sold on the appointment of Cameron Ciraldo but now has zero doubts the head coach will deliver the club’s first title in over 20 years.

Ciraldo agreed to join the Bulldogs on a five-year deal from 2023 after knocking back a similar offer to join another then-struggling club, the Wests Tigers.

Regarded as the best rookie coach in the game, the signature of the then Penrith assistant was a huge coup for Canterbury.

So was the defection of Mahoney from Parramatta to the Bulldogs in 2023, which was described by pundits as Canterbury’s most significant signing in a decade.

But Mahoney’s decision to sign a lucrative four-year deal was orchestrated by former coach Trent Barrett and general manager Phil Gould over a Chinese meal at Canterbury League Club.

So despite Ciraldo helping guide Penrith to back-to-back titles before arriving at Belmore, Mahoney couldn’t help having some initial doubts given the two had never met.

Reed Mahoney was sceptical about the appointment of coach Cameron Ciraldo at first. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

But like he did with Barrett the hooker broke bread with Ciraldo, this time it was right after the coach had helped Penrith take down Mahoney’s Eels in the 2022 grand final.

“When I first heard it, I went, ‘Oh, I wasn’t really sure’ because I didn’t sign when Ciro was here,” Mahoney revealed.

“But after the season finished and I went and had lunch and dinner with Ciro a couple of times, I knew the place was in good hands.

“Some of the things he does, I go home and think about it and go, ‘How does he actually manage all of us and the staff’.

“He’s just got this great work ethic. He wants everyone to do well, not just the players, the office staff too.

“He’s got this great management of people and wants everyone to strive, we are all one club.

“When we are playing well it’s on us (players) but also everyone who works at the club as well.”

In recent months, Mahoney has been at the centre of rumours surrounding his future at the club amid speculation his on-field discipline is creating a cause for concern.

But Ciraldo jumped to Mahoney’s defence declaring the 26-year-old was at the cornerstone of rebuilding the Bulldogs DNA, which has Canterbury perched on top of the NRL ladder.

Reed Mahoney and Cameron Ciraldo have formed a close bond.

“Reed has been at the forefront of us building our identity over the last couple of years. We have worked really hard at building a work ethic and competitiveness and Reed is at the forefront of that,” Ciraldo said last week.

While the duo have worked on forging a tight bond in recent years, Mahoney joked the relationship can be fleeting.

“I thought he was off me yesterday, I tried to call him and he didn’t call me back,” Mahoney laughed.

“I saw him this morning and asked him, ‘Are you off me?’ Because you didn’t answer my phone call.

“He’s been great for me as a person, I can’t thank him enough for what he has done for me.

“We’ve had some difficult conversations, but they have been for the better.

“How we pay him back is by training and performing well.”

Those ‘difficult conversations’ have included candid discussions about Mahoney’s discipline. Mahoney finished his first two seasons under Ciraldo as the NRL most penalised player in 2023 and 2024.

But Mahoney’s uncompromising and unapologetic approach to his game has always been a lightning rod for criticism.

He was labelled a liability after escaping a ban for collecting Daniel Atkinson while the Cronulla utility was laying on the ground two weeks ago.

Bulldogs fans have embraced Reed Mahoney. Picture: NRL Photos

“There’s been a lot of stuff on my discipline on being a grub and stuff,” Mahoney said.

“I don’t go into games thinking like that, or to be like that sort of person.

“Sometimes I step over the mark but I’ve thought this year I’ve been really good.

“I definitely could have handled (the Atkinson incident) better, but there was no intention to hurt anybody or anything like that.

“It’s something that I’ve been working on a lot, so I think it’s been pretty good this year.”

Ciraldo’s defensive mantra relies on discipline as much as it does fitness and work ethic. Canterbury are defending like a genuine title contender, conceding only 11.6 points per game this year.

“I thought last year we believed we could win (the title), this year it’s about winning every day not just the weekend. I’m confident we can go deep into this season.”

Originally published as Reed Mahoney was ‘not too sure’ about the appointment of Cameron Ciraldo as Bulldogs coach