Canterbury hooker Reed Mahoney says Jack Hetherington and Alex Seyfarth both suffer from "big man syndrome", shrugging off suggestions he deliberately baits opposition players.
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For the second time in as many games, Mahoney found himself at the centre of a mid-game scuffle on Saturday, this time locking horns with Wests Tigers prop Seyfarth at Accor Stadium.
Tensions threatened to erupt throughout the Bulldogs' 22-14 win and eventually a scuffle broke out when David Klemmer went to the sin bin for dissent in the final 10 minutes.
Mahoney rushed in to confront Seyfarth as he grabbed at Canterbury teammate Viliame Kikau and as the third man into the fray, he appeared to wear a headbutt from the Tigers prop.
"I was just doing what anyone else would do, just running in there and protecting their mate," Mahoney said.
Unlike after the fracas in the win over Newcastle, Mahoney was spared the sin bin, though the same could not be said for Seyfarth.
Both Knights prop Hetherington and Mahoney were sat down in round six, the former eventually copping a one-gam ban for escalating things in the tunnel at the same venue.
Asked whether he deserved a reputation as a pest, the diminutive Mahoney shot a barb at Hetherington and Seyfarth.
"People get big man syndrome, they don't like little people talking up to them. Maybe that's their fault, not mine," he said.
"I'm just playing the footy I've been playing for the last five years. I don't really worry about that sort of stuff.
"I go into those sorts of scuffles because I'm there to protect my mate. That's what we're about here, protecting each other to the death. I'm just there to do that, I'm not there to start anything, I'm there to protect and stand up for my boys. That's how I see it."
Hetherington is due to return from his ban for Sunday's clash against the Warriors.
The Knights prop has not yet addressed the Homebush dust-up, during which he appeared ready to throw a punch at Mahoney. The Bulldogs hooker was tight-lipped on Saturday.
"I don't really want to comment on it, I'm the sort of player I leave everything on the field. He obviously got pretty angry and I'll just leave it at that," he said.
"Footy's footy, you play on emotion and we all get like that sometimes."
Australian Associated Press
