Reed Mahoney has become one of the most talented agitators in the NRL, with the Bulldogs star guaranteed to get under the skin of his opponents on a regular basis.
But this ability goes back before his time at Belmore, with one of Mahoney's first big moments involving an altercation with NRL legend Cameron Smith that saw the Melbourne Storm icon sent to the sin bin.
Five years on from the play, Mahoney has revealed exactly what led to this tie-up, and what the league's all-time games played leader said to him in the moment.
Reed Mahoney reflects on infamous Cameron Smith incident
It was a slow night for the Parramatta Eels during the 2019 semifinals clash with the Melbourne Storm, until Reed Mahoney was successful in getting Cameron Smith sent to the sin bin.
During a recent appearance on Josh Mansour's podcast 'Unscripted', Mahoney revealed that it was a moment that set him up for the rest of his NRL career.
"We came last the year before, and it might’ve been the year after, it was a semi-final in Melbourne, AAMI Park," Mahoney said.
"I didn't have a hair on my face... I was playing against all those [legends], Cam Smith, Billy Slater, and I’m just in awe, like these are guys I’ve watched for my whole life and I’m playing against them.
"It was like 30 minutes into the game, Semifinal 1 and we’re down 30-nil, and I’m like ‘yeah this is going good, my first experience playing finals is hectic, we’re getting pumped’
"I saw him get out of dummy half and try to kick the ball, and I just tried to pressure him a bit, and as I tackled him I got my hand stuck in his jersey - he sorta swiped at me once, and I thought 'I'll just hold on' and he’s just like 'Get off me' and as he goes to push me he just smoked me straight in the face, the rest is history.
"He did say something to me at the time, I won’t repeat it, and then a couple of years later we talked about it and we get along pretty well and he goes 'Yeah you got me, I don’t know what was wrong with me but you just got me'."
Despite the moment, the Eels and Mahoney were ultimately unsuccessful in the game, going down 32-0 to Smith and the Storm.