EXCLUSIVE: Billy Slater reveals $1.5m decision that kickstarted shock Eels slide
It's been a horror season for Parramatta as last year's grand finalists go into the final two rounds destined to miss finals.
There have been a few excuses for Brad Arthur's side, which has won only 11 games and now sits too far back to crack the top eight before the end of the season.
Five-eighth Dylan Brown was stood down for more than two months as he was the subject of a court case, star winger Maika Sivo and prop Reagan Campbell-Gillardeach spent time on the sidelines suspended - as did Ryan Matterson for the opening month of the campaign - while contract speculation surrounded their two best players - Mitchell Moses and Clint Gutherson - for weeks before being sorted.
Halfback Moses has now been struck down by a broken eye socket to signal a premature end to his season.
None of that is ideal when attempting to make it to a second consecutive grand final, let alone win one.
But league legend Billy Slater believes the disastrous slide started more than 12 months ago, when the Eels lost the signature of Reed Mahoney to the Bulldogs.
The crafty hooker snubbed a three-year $1.5 million extension offer from Parramatta and went to Canterbury on a four-year contract said to be worth $650,000 a season.
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To plug the hole left by Mahoney, the Eels signed veteran rake Josh Hodgson, who failed to make it through the season and had to retire due to injury issues.
"They worked so hard last year to give themselves an opportunity to play on grand final day, and they would have put in the same amount of effort to get there again, and it just hasn't worked for them," Slater told Nine's The Billy Slater Podcast.
"I think the first error that they made was not going above and beyond to keep their No.9 in Reed Mahoney.
"He is a serious player, and we know the importance of that position now.
"I know they had Josh Hodgson come to the club - that in itself was a huge risk, given Josh's age, his history with injuries.
"To go to extraordinary lengths to keep Mitchell Moses - which is fair enough, he's a quality player - but not to go those lengths to keep your star No.9, who could be a 10-15 year player at that club... that's where it started.
"There was a lot of things happened at the Eels this year that didn't help, but for me it all started when they moved their No.9 on."
Mahoney made his NRL debut for Parramatta in 2018 and was the first-choice hooker for the following four seasons.
He amassed 101 games in the blue and gold before heading to Belmore.
Replies
Fair enough Billy, now why don't you go public about wanting to coach in the NRL at a club like Parra. Start the revolution.
Reed would be the last player that I think caused our downfall. I agree with everything he says but not Reed. Two things I don't agree with, one is Gutho, I thought that was all worked out before this year started. Two Moses wasn't that much of a distraction. I think team mates are use to that kind of thing happening around clubs, supporters not so much.
Slater is 100% correct.
Mahoney was our starting hooker for 4 years and was talked about as an origin player in that time.
We replaced him with a guy who should've retired 3 years ago and he cost us nearly as much as the dogs got Mahoney for.
If we had Mahoney at hooker, I believe 100% that we would be playing finals footy this year.
It is such a bullshit cop out blaming Matterson's suspension for the early season losses. It is purely because we had Hodgson at hooker.
Not only was Hodgson to old, unfit and coming back from his 3rd ACL injury, his style of play is nothing like what Parramatta's style of play is.
The coach, and some of the clowns on here were saying the whole team had to adapt to Hodgsons playing style. How fucking stupid is that!
Two things the club stuffed up will go down as the biggest fuck ups in the Eels history.
Number 1: Not doing whatever it took to keep Mahoney.
Number 2: Signing Hodgson who not only was well past it but even in his prime, does not have the style of play to suit our style of play.
1 player doesn't determine the success of a football team. We saw that in Hayne and Mahoney is no Hayne. It was a combination of events that stuffed the Eels season
Yes one person does especially when they play such an important role as hooker.
Take out a hooker who had been in our system for so long including our first grade starting hooker for 4 years and replace him with the complete opposite and of course we would go backwards at a million miles an hour.
I agree BEM. Hooker is such a important position to play in this era.
Simplistic analysis. Mahoney proved this year that he isn't elite, and the Bulldogs are likely overpaying him. Their defence has gotten worse this year. The only good things about him are his long kicking game and the fact he is effective over 80 minutes. Yes he's a better player than Hodgson and Lussick, but not by much, and he would be costing a lot more.
Agree Pou and I notice Bem has nothing to say on that.
BEM has been proven right relative to Hodgson but I believe the punt was justified, there a multitude of reasons why we have gone where we have.....no need to resay them again!
I do have a life outside of this website Poppa. Maybe you should try to as well.
why! ......brave and naive assumption to think otherwise BEM, you have strong opinions the same as I do, neither of us have to agree, I certainly respect your opinion, just think you went overboard on the issue re Mahoney....ca la vie!
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