The news comes after Galvin struggled in the Bulldogs’ collapse against Brisbane.
Lachie Galvin’s signing continues to have repercussions at the Canterbury Bulldogs, with hooker Reed Mahoney set to follow halfback Toby Sexton out the door at the end of the season. Confirmation of Sexton’s exit came on Thursday night when the Catalans Dragons announced he would be joining the English Super League club from 2026 to replace Roosters and Rabbitohs premiership hero, Luke Keary.
And following Canterbury’s dramatic second half collapse against the Broncos on Friday, it’s since emerged that off-contract Bulldogs hooker Mahoney will also depart the club at the end of the current season. According to reports from Code Sports, Mahoney has signed a three-year deal with North Queensland from the 2026 season, continuing the shake-up at the Bulldogs after Galvin’s recruitment.
Mahoney’s move to the Cowboys next season will see him replace Blues Origin hooker Reece Robson, who signed a four-year deal with the Roosters from 2026. And it paves the way for versatile forward Bailey Hayward to stamp his claim as the Bulldogs’ long-term No.9.
Canterbury had refused to guarantee whether Mahoney would remain at the club beyond this year and the signing of Galvin further clouded the No.9’s future. Mahoney showed his frustrations after being benched in the second half of Galvin’s first game for the Bulldogs, and there have been rumblings for weeks that Canterbury were prepared to move on from the former Parramatta No.9.
Mahoney is a renowned agitator and has had his fair share of on-field disciplinary issues at the Dogs, since joining from the Eels. But he’s also been a key part of the Bulldogs’ resurgence over the last couple of seasons. Since Galvin’s arrival at Canterbury though, Mahoney has been the man to make way for the young recruit, with coach Cameron Ciraldo shifting Sexton to hooker and playing Galvin in the halves when he’s come off the bench.
New-look Bulldogs halves combo flops in loss to Brisbane
Ciraldo opted to start with all three players in Friday night’s defeat to the Broncos, with Sexton and Galvin sharing playmaking duties and regular No.6 Matt Burton shifting to centre in the absence of Blues Origin pair Stephen Crichton and Jacob Kiraz. But the move failed to pay dividends and only threw up more questions around Canterbury’s halves conundrum as Galvin and Sexton failed to gel with their backline and close out the game after leading 18-0.
Galvin and Sexton played on both sides of the ruck but the Bulldogs were constantly guilty of pushing too many passes and searching for points in the 22-18 defeat. And it leaves Ciraldo with a big decision to make around his star recruit, with Galvin’s arrival coinciding with a slide in form for the Dogs, who have now lost two games in a row to give up top spot on the ladder.
Ciraldo admitted he was filthy with his side after they squandered an 18-point lead against the fast-finishing Broncos, who scored four tries in the final 20 minutes to snatch victory after a masterclass from Brisbane playmaker Ezra Mam. The Bulldogs were guilty of overplaying their hand in attack, with Galvin particularly struggling to find cohesion with Burton on Canterbury’s left edge.
“We were trying to land knockout punches when we got some good ball,” Ciraldo said after the game. “The Broncos were defending well, and I think we just got frustrated and handed the ball over way too cheaply. We were trying to force it too much.”
“I don’t think our attack has reached its potential all year, so we’re searching for that, as most clubs are… We’ve got nine or 10 weeks to go to figure that out, but you’ve got to learn your lessons quickly. We didn’t learn ours from last week and take those into tonight.”
