Reed Mahoney has taken up the role once held by Michael Ennis at the Bulldogs, getting under the skin of opposition players and becoming a serial pest on the field.
However, according to Billy Slater, the star hooker doesn’t need to be an aggressor or niggler and has urged him to “tidy that side of things up”.
Over the past few weeks, Mahoney has been embroiled in a couple of controversial moments, including a scuffle in the tunnel with Knights enforcer Jack Hetherington.
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Mahoney was in the middle of another melee on the weekend, this time copping a headbutt from Tigers forward Alex Seyfarth.
Canterbury’s dummy-half has since been charged by the match review committee with contrary conduct, as well as a separate charge for a dangerous throw against the Tigers.
Speaking on Nine’s The Billy Slater Podcast, the rugby league legend urged the 26-year-old to leave the rubbish out of his game and focus on his football.
”It has sort of crept into his game a little bit,” Slater said.
“He doesn’t need that, he is a wonderful player and a great little competitor. He is a crafty No.9 and a great defender. He doesn’t need that sort of stuff in his game.
“It’s starting to grab the headlines around him as a player and you don’t want that.
“I’m sure he will tidy that side of things up.”
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Mahoney is a crucial part of the squad at Belmore and has captained the side in the past, but his on-field antics have divided opinion in recent weeks.
The criticism from Slater was backed up by Andrew Johns during Nine’s The Sunday Footy Show, urging the hooker to think about his long-term legacy.
“Reed Mahoney’s coming in third man and it’s a couple of times he has done it this year, to agitate and carry on, because there’s no fear of being punched in the head,” he said.
“There’s no natural justice on the field, there’s no consequences, and for little blokes to run up to big blokes and carry on and get in their face, it drives me mad.
“Reed’s a really good guy – but you’re gonna finish your career and you don’t want your legacy to be that he was an agitator, grub or pest. He’s too tough to do that.
“He’s a tough player, he rips in defensively, he doesn’t need to do this absolute rubbish.”
While it’s a fine line that players such as Ennis and Will Chambers got away with for the most part and used to their advantage during their careers, Slater raised the point that Mahoney doesn’t need to be the instigator and rile opposition players.
Slater warned that the Bulldogs would be worse off without his attacking threats if he ends up on the sidelines – whether it’s through suspension or in the sin bin – as they battle for a spot in the NRL finals this year.