EXCLUSIVE: Phil Gould claims Bulldogs star Reed Mahoney is 'targeted' after 'unwarranted' criticism

Phil Gould has leapt to the defence of Reed Mahoney, claiming the Bulldogs hooker cops "unwarranted" criticism after his latest on-field indiscretion.

Mahoney was penalised and put on report in round four after diving at a prone Daniel Atkinson and making forceful contact with the back of his neck.

The dummy-half was slapped with an $1800 fine for the incident, despite plenty of backlash from fans and media in the days that followed Canterbury's win over Cronulla.

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Quizzed on why he thought Mahoney was sanctioned, Gould gave a blunt response before launching a staunch defence of the Bulldogs star.

"Because it was Reed Mahoney," he said on Wide World of Sports' Six Tackles With Gus.

"He's one of the most committed and courageous players I have seen. He's a small man and the quantity of work that he gets through in 80 minutes every week is extraordinary.

"He's very competitive and constantly on the front-foot and looking for a way to influence the game. Every now and again it sails close to the wind, but he's done a lot of work on his discipline and he doesn't want to let his team down.

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"Reed Mahoney gets targeted by opposition coaches, players, fans and he gets targeted by the media and they scream at the referees to target him - a lot of it is unwarranted.

"Every now and then he has a bit of a slip-up, but it doesn't make you a bad person or a bad thing and what he did the other night, there wasn't much in it at all.

"But because it's Reed Mahoney, it creates headlines."

The 26-year-old has become a polarising figure in the NRL over his career, with his niggling antics firing up rival players, coaches and fans.

But what many don't see, according to Gould, is the true character of Mahoney.

"Sifa Talakai got knocked out in a tackle the other night and who was the first player to roll him over and look after him? Reed Mahoney," he said.

"I don't see him getting too many raps for that … he's a good bloke."

Earlier in the week, Cameron Ciraldo and Stephen Crichton both defended Mahoney and urged him to continue his aggressive ways on the field.

Mahoney has been named to start in the No.9 jumper as the undefeated Dogs take on the Newcastle Knights in round five.