Mahoney’s Vegas verbals with old teammates light fuse for explosive reunion

Mahoney had many friends at Canterbury and retained some quiet support before the Montoya incident. But now the fuse has been lit in the Bulldogs playing group.

This column has long been a fan of the way Mahoney plays, but we won’t defend what he is alleged to have said.

There’s no question Mahoney was strong for the Cowboys in their loss to Newcastle at Allegiant Stadium, but it’s worth noting that the Bulldogs were full of praise for Bailey Hayward and his non-stop effort in their win over the Dragons.

He played 90 minutes at hooker and was still fit and firing enough to throw a long ball to captain Stephen Crichton when the Bulldogs needed a decisive pass to give their skipper time to slot the winning field goal.

The Bulldogs management hasn’t lost any sleep about letting Mahoney go to North Queensland, and it should be a clash to remember when the teams meet at Accor Stadium on Friday, May 1.

Knight of near drama

There was nearly an incident in the lead-up to the games in Las Vegas when the Dragons and the Knights players came face-to-face at a nightspot.

Newcastle recruit Trey Mooney was allegedly ready to take on the Dragons – or more specifically, team co-captain Clint Gutherson. Sources with knowledge of the situation not authorised to comment publicly say Dragons security became involved to make sure Mooney didn’t get anywhere near their players. The Knights say their security was there as well and as a result, the matter didn’t escalate.

It’s unclear why he was allegedly ready to rumble. Fortunately, the situation was de-escalated quickly. The issue was brought to the attention of the NRL, which didn’t seem overly concerned as it hadn’t progressed to anything serious.

Packer meets V’landys

James Packer’s attendance at the NRL’s opening round in Las Vegas was a considerable coup for the game.

Packer largely keeps to himself these days, but Roosters boss Nick Politis, who has been a friend and mentor for a long time, convinced him to attend.

What is not as well known is that Packer met with Peter V’landys, and the pair spent considerable time together in the presence of Politis. Bulldogs general manager Phil Gould is also very close to Packer and caught up with his mate at a separate meeting.

Barnett and Broncos could be perfect for Madge

Brisbane’s premiership-winning coach Michael Maguire is bracing himself for another year of criticism over his methods, which have now been well proven at club and representative level.

The off-season news that front-rower Payne Haas is heading to South Sydney next season has only added to theories surrounding Maguire and his relationships with players.

But what his critics won’t notice is that a player such as Mitch Barnett, who is leaving the Warriors and returning to Australia next season, is willing to meet with him and discuss options.

Barnett will spend extra time with his family after an issue with one of his children. He knows Maguire is conscious of all of that and is understanding despite the high standards he sets.

The Broncos coach has strong relationships with many of his players. Barnett also became a Blues hero under Maguire’s coaching when NSW won the Origin series in 2024.

No smoking gun

The conspiracy theorists are convinced the Zac Lomax case against the Eels to allow him to join the Melbourne Storm this season didn’t proceed in court because the NRL were worried text messages involving Peter V’landys and NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo could have been in some way damaging for the two heavy hitters.

We have heard this theory several times in the media and put it to the powerbrokers. After lengthy conversations with the pair, it is clear there was minimal contact between them and Lomax, the Storm and the Eels.

This column will take their word on it. Perhaps the best indication that their involvement was – at least in an evidentiary sense – minimal is that nothing more has come out other than the naive text message from Storm chief executive Justin Rodski asking to Abdo to put the “blowtorch” on the Eels to enable them to secure Lomax. If there had been more, it would have been leaked – the Eels ran a brilliant PR game.

The suspicions arose because in the early stages V’landys wanted to involve himself in the matter and has been a strong advocate for Lomax. He even publicly voiced concerns for the NSW winger’s mental state after Lomax gained a release from the Eels to pursue a deal with rebel rugby competition R360 only for him to be left clubless when the start-up was delayed until at least 2028.

Those looking for a smoking gun in the messages might have to look elsewhere.

What you don’t have to doubt is the anger from the NRL towards Parramatta. They think Eels management have been overly harsh on Lomax – and more than that, have wasted an opportunity to invest big money in their juniors.

Storm chair Matt Tripp was willing to pay the equivalent of $750,000 to get Lomax, who reached an out-of-court settlement with Parramatta that effectively means he can’t return to the NRL for two years without the Eels’ permission. Tripp was privately questioning the amount even as he was preparing to pay, but he was ready to go that far. It was the same figure Anthony Mundine paid to the Bulldogs to allow Sonny Bill Williams to break his deal with the Bulldogs. It makes the $165,000 the Bulldogs paid Wests Tigers for Lachlan Galvin look cheap.

Foul-mouthed funnyman

The NRL got almost everything right in Las Vegas, but they bit off more than they could chew with the appearance of comedian Jim Jefferies at Fremont Street. He was dropping every expletive under the sun at a family-friendly event. The look on the faces of the game’s bosses and Foxtel head Patrick Delany said it all. They were ashen-faced. No one was willing to admit who thought it was a good idea to have him there. The host of the Fremont Street experience, Nine News sports reporter Zac Bailey, did extremely well to limit his time on stage.

Media-unfriendly Seibold

Sea Eagles coach Anthony Seibold is clearly confident his team will have a stellar season and avoid media scrutiny. How else can you explain his decision to schedule a 7.45am media conference during the week?

Former Manly coach Des Hasler used to try this trick to ensure minimal media attendance.

Seibold’s early start has put some noses out of joint among the press gang. And fair enough, too, when most journalists are still working well into the evening. It has not endeared him to anyone but the early risers. It also goes against promises the NRL made to media in Las Vegas.

The NRL saw firsthand in the US how decent access can result in great stories and pictures. They want to increase the availability of players and the media sessions they do. It will be great if their words are followed by actions.

Love or loathe Kyrgios

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Sometime tennis star Nick Kyrgios was the big celebrity at Resorts World as the NRL players let their hair down after the Las Vegas opening round. Some players loved him, others wanted to put one on his chin. Pretty typical when it comes to one of the most divisive characters in world sport. He makes an impact wherever he goes.

Despite some reports saying the NRL double header and the English Super League match were on prime-time Fox Sports 1 and free-to-air, the bosses of the game have confirmed they were on pay channels. We have asked for ratings figures but so far, the NRL were not forthcoming. The lack of free-to-air is a major issue for the NRL.

The NRL say they made a profit on Vegas. The charter flights were significant and the merchandise was a smash hit. In three days they sold $1 million worth of gear.