"I had a couple of years in 20s but then I was up in first grade and my family couldn’t believe it. They were just proud of me. They were rapt." Mahoney's family aren't the only ones thrilled to see the 20-year-old run out in the blue and gold every week. In just his second NRL season he is showing the skills every hooker needs to carve out a successful career. His defence is strong in the middle third of the field and in attack, he rarely places a foot wrong when deciding to kick, run or pass. His combination with Mitchell Moses, Clint Gutherson and Dylan Brown seems to run like clockwork despite the limited amount of football the quartet have played together to date.

"They’re instinctive players but we meet twice a week and go through our game plan and what we have to do to execute our game plan to make sure we are on the same page," Mahoney said. "That’s what we’ve done the last three or four weeks. At the moment it’s going really well." Mahoney can certainly play and oozes confidence in his decision making from dummy half on the field but off it, he is a polite, well-meaning individual. After a summer filled with off-season scandals which tarnished the reputation of the game, he was also the man behind one of the many good deeds from NRL players which often come and go without any attention. After Parramatta's shock win over Penrith at Panthers Stadium in round one, Mahoney was headed east on the M4 with his mother in the car when they spotted a car crash a couple of kilometres ahead.

Actions speak louder than words and Mahoney's reaction says everything you need to know about Parramatta's new, softly spoken star. Loading "When you think someone needs your help, you do your part. That’s the sort of person I am," he said. "My mum was in the car and she was a nurse so she could help out a bit. It was just about helping somebody else. I didn't want a big fuss about it. "I actually got a call from Brad the next day. I shit myself a bit. We played a game the day before (the call) and I thought … what have I done.