'Here to make a difference': Mahoney to bring own style to Cowboys

Cowboys recruit Reed Mahoney admits he has “big shoes to fill” at the club but vowed to bring his own style of play to North Queensland as they aim to get back to the finals.

Mahoney was signed by the Cowboys to fill the hole left by the departure of NSW Origin representative Reece Robson to the Roosters, and the former Eels and Bulldogs hooker said he had made the move "to win". 

A Kawana Dolphins and Beerwah Bulldogs junior, Mahoney has been working hard to earn the respect of his new teammates but insisted he won't change the way he plays.

“Reece has been great for this club for a number of years now, and for someone like that to leave; there is big shoes to fill,” Mahoney said.

“I'm not going to be here and become Reece Robson; I'm going to come here and be Reed Mahoney.

“So, it's working hard, connecting with people and getting the best out of everyone around me and you go from there.

“I play with passion, and I want to win every game, every minute on the field. So, if I can bring that, I can definitely help the team in that way.

"I think a change is always nice as well. I came here to just earn my respect through my hard work and that's what I'm planning on doing.

"It's just working hard for my for my mates and (to) let them know that I am here to make a difference and that I'm passionate and that I came up here to win.”

Describing himself as an 80-minute player, Mahoney said that while things did not finish the way he wanted at the Bulldogs, he knew he still had a lot to offer a team.

“I'm an 80-minute player every week; I worked extremely hard in the off-season to get myself in peak fitness and there were some changes in the back end of the last year, but some of those were a bit out of my control and that was the coach's decision,” Mahoney said.

“I had to run with it and it was about the team at the time … If I can take anything out of that, that motivates me for the years to come and I'm really looking forward to really pushing myself to stay at that level.”

The Cowboys also didn’t have the season they would have wanted in 2025, with a number of injury disruptions one of the reasons that contributed to their 12th place finish after many had predicated another finals run for the talent-laden team.

Despite some high-profile departures and retirements, Mahoney said he saw a bright future for the club, which was another factor that attracted him to return to Queensland.

“The group of players that were here and the calibre and the type of coaches that were here,” Mahoney said of his decision.

“They said to me straight away that there was plenty left in me to learn and grow and that's what I was looking for.

“There are some great players here that I'm really excited to play with and some really good young guys coming through as well … that's what got my attention to come up here …

“The people that they have on the field and the people that are coming through the system; all the young boys that they've got going.

“I see a lot of improvement in us, and I see that we can get back to being like the Cowboys teams performing at the highest level …

“It's about us walking towards it and getting better every day and really striving to be the best team that we can be. I see so much improvement in the side.”

The Cowboys will begin their 2026 season in Las Vegas against Newcastle Knights, with the Bulldogs hosting the Dragons in the other match at Allegiant Stadium. 

However, Mahoney was keeping his focus on training hard in the pre-season, saying he was no guarantee to be on the plane for the season opener. 

“I knew we were going to Vegas and probably should think about who I'm versing, but we'll get to that," Mahoney said.

"As I said, I've got to earn everything and work really hard to earn my spot in the team and the only way I'm going to be in Vegas is me working hard and earning my spot."