He knew heโd need a number of things to go his way this season and it was never a guarantee, but Parramatta Eels hooker Reed Mahoney is now destined to reach his 100-game milestone for the club that gave him his NRL debut before he departs for the Bulldogs.
According to the industrious dummy-half, the fact that his milestone is coming in the most meaningful game of his career so far only sweetens the significance of the moment.
โI knew it was coming close, I wanted to make it (to game 100) before I left,โ Mahoney told Zero Tackle.
โItโs come as the most vital game of my career in a Parramatta jersey, and I wouldnโt want it any other way.โ
The milestone is a just reward for Mahoney, who is one of just a handful of Eels to have played every game for the club this season. Itโs been made even sweeter after he was forced to miss last yearโs ill-fated finals campaign after suffering a shoulder injury toward the end of the year.
While he couldnโt have secured the achievement without an injury and suspension-free 2022, he also wouldnโt have made it this far without his team mates, who are now preparing to contest their first preliminary final since 2009.
โThere isnโt a more important game Iโd want to be playing in,โ Mahoney said.
โThe last few years weโd be finished by now, but last year really hurt. Now weโre playing our best footy at the right time this year.
โThis week is the biggest challenge for most of us in our career, not just me.
Despite a slow start to the year, the Eels have continued to improve, finishing in fourth place and securing an extra bite at the cherry after going down to Penrith in the first week - but Mahoney says the side has improved even since then.
โWe know the squad we have here, and probably over the last month weโve gelled really well and weโre working really hard for each other.
โItโs the things people and fans donโt see, but we do internally. People turning up when theyโre absolutely out on their feet, little things, little moments are why you win big games. It goes to show the quality of the squad.โ
Though the club isnโt lacking in motivation with so much history on the line, co-captain Clint Gutherson is well aware of the significance of Mahoneyโs achievement and says the team is determined to celebrate the achievement with a win and send him off with fond memories of his time at the club.
โWeโre pretty big on milestone games here and weโve been pretty good at celebrating them with a win,โ Gutherson said.
โFor Reed to be leaving and have 100 games at the club, itโs a big achievement. Not many people get to do it but weโd love to send him off with a couple of wins and into his new career at the Bulldogs a happy man with good memories here.โ
