Sport Confidential: Reed Mahoney’s agent denies he’s on the outer at Bulldogs, James Bracey set to join Perth Bears board
Reed Mahoney’s agent has denied suggestions the Bulldogs hooker is on the nose at Belmore, insisting it “couldn’t be further from the truth” that the club is showing him the door after signing Lachlan Galvin. SPORT CONFIDENTIAL
Reed Mahoney’s long-time agent has hit out at fresh suggestions the Bulldogs hooker is on the nose at Belmore, insisting he - in consultation with Mahoney - was the driving force behind plans to explore interest at rival clubs.
Mahoney’s future at Canterbury has been under the microscope in recent weeks after discussions between his agent Sam Ayoub and the club over his future beyond 2026.
Mahoney is off contract at the end of next season but Ayoub was keen to see whether he could secure a long-term deal given the Bulldogs weren’t in position to provide him with any guarantees.
Those revelations, along with the arrival of Lachlan Galvin and Mahoney’s reduced minutes against Parramatta at the weekend, inevitably led to suggestions that the Bulldogs No.9 was on the outer.
Ayoub insisted that was not the case and his early departure on Monday had more to do with his work rate in the first half as opposed to being on the outer.
“It couldn’t be further from the truth,” Ayoub said when quizzed about suggestions that Mahoney was set to be a fall guy for Galvin’s arrival.
“He made 32 tackles in 40 minutes in the first half. He had worked himself to a standstill. He is not on the outer.
“I went to the club and asked them what they were thinking with Reed after next season. They said they weren’t sure yet and I asked them whether I could quietly look around.
“They said yes but also made it clear that they were happy for him to stay next season. It was all done in good faith and goodwill and has always been in the best interests of the player.
“Gus (Bulldogs head of football Phil Gould) has always been good like that.”
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Nine Network sports presenter James Bracey is set to be part of the inaugural board of the Perth Bears.
Sport Confidential can reveal that despite concerns over a potential conflict of interest given his role at the game’s host commercial broadcaster, Bracey is expected to fill one of the seven spots on the board.
North Sydney chair Daniel Dickson is also expected to be an inaugural director.
Bracey’s anticipated role with game’s newest franchise, who will enter the premiership in 2027, comes as the NRL deals with challenges in Western Australia with Seven West media.
The NRL have been targeted by the local newspaper while Seven in Sydney was instructed to avoid asking questions about the Bears at a press conference last week to announce Mal Meninga as the maiden coach.
They were also asked to frame their shots to avoid including recently-appointed Bears chiefs executive Anthony De Ceglie.
De Ceglie is the former editor-in-chief of The West Australian newspaper, a significant arm of Stokes’ media empire which also includes Seven West Media.
Bracey is one of the most respected figures in sports media but his appointment has the potential to inflame tension between the NRL and Seven West bosses.
Bracey is a rabid Bears fan, having campaigned long and hard for the club’s return to the NRL.
He had made it known that he was interested in being part of the Perth Bears board but the NRL were known to harbour concerns over the potential for conflict given he works for the Nine Network.
Bracey is set to join a short list of television personalities who hold positions of power in the NRL.
Bracey’s colleague Phil Gould is the head of football at the Bulldogs while Fox League expert Greg Alexander sits on the board of the Penrith Panthers.
Gould, in particular, has come under heavy fire at times for seeming to use his position on Nine as a vehicle to wield influence on behalf of the Bulldogs.
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The Bulldogs have won the race to secure the signature of one of the hottest schoolboys in Queensland.
David Bryenton was recently named in the Queensland under 18 side for the national schoolboys titles and had a handful of NRL clubs knocking at his door.
Sport Confidential understands that Bryenton and his manager Jim Banaghan met with the Wests Tigers and Canberra last week as well as the Bulldogs.
Other clubs were also known to be circling the Keebra Park High School student, who played for Souths Logan in the Meninga Cup and has drawn comparisons with New Zealand and Warriors custodian Roger Tuivasa Sheck.
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Spanish tennis superstar Rafael Nadal has joined a host of Australian sporting legends - and News Corp’s very own Phil ‘Buzz’ Rothfield - in the latest ad for the Kia Tasman ute.
The ad, which Sport Confidential can exclusively reveal, kicks off with tennis icon Ash Barty approaching a dilapidated house and features stars from rugby league and AFL, as well as former Chicago Bulls basketballer Luc Longley and cricketer Mike Whitney.
Fox league larrikins Bryan Fletcher and Nathan Hindmarsh feature in a scene with Rothfield but former Manly coach Geoff Toovey steals the show, reprising the famous line that landed him in hot water with the NRL some years ago.
“This is ridiculous, there’s gotta be an investigation.” Toovey utters over the phone when greeted by a leaking pipe.
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The Bulldogs have escaped with a warning from the NRL over their decision to have Lachlan Galvin begin training last week before he had been given an official clearance from the Wests Tigers.
Galvin was captured by a member of the public going through drills with his new teammates two weeks ago, kitted out in Bulldogs gear.
At the time, his management was still negotiating his release from the Tigers. Needless to say the incident didn’t go down well with Tigers officials or fans, or for that matter the NRL.
It is understood the NRL spoke to the Bulldogs and they were given a reminder of their obligations.
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Manly coach Anthony Seibold has confirmed that prop Josh Aloiai is struggling with an ongoing shoulder problem.
The issue is career threatening with Aloiai facing the very real prospect of having played his final game despite being just 29.
“Josh is in the early part of trying to get him some diagnosis on that shoulder,” Seibold said. “He has had a number of issues since the semi-final last year. I spoke to Josh yesterday. He has to get more assessments of that shoulder on the coming days.”
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Penrith have signed one of the game’s most promising back rowers on a deal for the next two seasons.
Zakauri Clarke, whose brother Cooper Clarke made the NSW 19 squad and has signed a five-year deal with the Melbourne Storm, has signed a development deal with the Panthers.
The teenager, a goalkicking back rower, is a Wests Tigers junior.
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FLASHBACK
A very young Dragons coach Nathan Brown did his best to try and console a dejected Mat Head on this day 20 years ago. The St George Illawarra halfback suffered a season ending knee injury as the Dragons beat North Queensland 34-4.
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Sacked ex-Tiger Jordan Miller’s court case against his former club is headed for arbitration with a formal settlement conference locked in for next week.
Miller is disputing the club’s reasoning for their intent to terminate his contract. He will be represented by former Tigers chairman Lee Hagipantelis firm Brydens Lawyers when it heads to a settlement conference next Friday. Brydens Lawyers were long-term major sponsors of the Tigers until this year after Hagipantelis was replaced as chairman.
The Tigers claimed that Miller was late to a training session – for the second time – and was subsequently breached leading to his impending sacking.
However, Miller said the most recent breach occurred because of extenuating circumstances relating to a personal nature.
The matter could end up in the courtroom if it is not resolved after the parties were instructed to try to reach a settlement.
“It was a family matter, I was late by 40 minutes,” Miller told the Herald this year.
“I went back to the Tigers, and they didn’t really believe the story, and then I pretty much got let go.”
Miller made his NRL debut last year and played two games off the bench. He had two years to run on a contract worth about $600,000. Miller represented Fiji in their Test against PNG last year.
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Harrison Edwards has made a home at the Cowboys with the ex-Bulldog agreeing to a new two-year deal.
The club had an option on Edwards’ services for next year with both parties agreeing to a new contract which will keep him at the club until at least the end of 2027.
Edwards has played 10 games off the interchange bench for the Cowboys. He joined them midway through last year after the 24-year-old played 17 games for the Cowboys.
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The players union has knocked back the chance to be part of a committee to review the salary cap. Sport Confidential understands that Rugby League Players Association chief executive Clint Newton was offered the chance to be part of the review but declined.
The RLPA have consultation rights as part of their agreement with the NRL, meaning the findings of the committee will eventually be shared with them anyway.
The RLPA have also earmarked other priorities as more pressing including their push for a review of the illicit drug testing policy and their desire to have integrity matters handled by an independent arbiter or body.
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Perth Bears coach Mal Meninga has flagged the prospect of setting up satellite academies for the fledgling franchise in South Africa and the Pacific Islands as he looks to scour the globe for the best talent.
Meninga, appointed last week as the inaugural coach of the Bears, knows how important it is to hit the ground running on November 1 when the club is able to speak to players who enter the last final year of their deals at their current clubs.
However, he is also ready to look outside the NRL for players and that is where South Africa and the Pacific Islands come into play.
The plan comes with its challenges, the most significant that rugby league is a virtual non-entity in South Africa, where rugby union is the dominant code.
However, Meninga believes the Bears can find success by setting up rugby league academies in South Africa. Alternatvely, they could convince promising South African players to finish their schooling in WA.
“We’ve got that opportunity for the next say 15 months to have a look at how we set up the academies - that’s really important,” Meninga said.
“There’s a lot of talent in South Africa but they don’t understand our game. A lot of South Africans also come to WA as you know.
“So there might be opportunities to even set it up in WA - come into the schooling system. There’s a reasonable rugby culture in the schools, so you can actually do it like we’re doing here (in Sydney) where the kids go to the rugby schools.
“Then you educate them in the academies about rugby league.”
Asked how much he knew about South African rugby, Meninga said: “What I know is that there is a load of talent coming out of their school systems.
“You’ve got to grow them from somewhere don’t you? South Africa is close enough to do it.”
Super League is a viable option for Meninga as well.
“England’s a good proposition, you know,” Meninga said.
“There’s a load of Kiwis and Pacific Islanders over there as well.”
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