Michael Ennis on head tap: I respect Cameron Smith and was overexcited Michael Ennis insists he wasn't trying to disrespect Cameron Smith when he rubbed him on the head during Canterbury's win over the Melbourne Storm, with the Bulldogs skipper saying he was simply over excited. Michael Ennis of the Bulldogs looks on. MICHAEL Ennis has declared that he respects Cameron Smith and his controversial head pat was not a lack of respect but a result of being overexcited. The Bulldogs skipper became embroiled in controversy on Sunday afternoon when he got under the skin of his opposing hooker in the first half of Canterbury's 28-4 win over Melbourne. Matthew Johns, Gordon Tallis, Nathan Hindmarsh, Bryan Fletcher and Lara Pitt discuss Michael Ennis' efforts to disrupt Cameron Smith, with the panel divided on whether or not Ennis was within his rights to pat the Storm skipper on the head. Smith came up with an uncharacteristic error at a vital period in the first half where he threw a costly pass which resulted in a knock on. A serial pest, Ennis mocked Smith by patting him on the top of his head which was met by criticism and claims that Ennis should have more respect for the Australian captain. Ennis said he didn't realise the stir his head tap had caused until he had left the field at halftime and was told by a reporter that a story was being written for Monday's paper. "I respect Cameron, I really do," Ennis said on NRL360. He's achieved so much in the game, especially in my position. I was not being at all disrespectful. Ennis said he believes the head pat was not done in a disrespectful manner and said there is no ill feeling between the two players. Michael Ennis rubs salt in the wounds of his counterpart with this paronising head rub on Cameron Smith in the Bulldogs' NRL elimination final win over the Storm The 30-year-old revealed the head tap was a result of being overexcited after a team tactic in the scrum had worked. "It was as simple as this - we had a planned? move where we knew Billy Slater is in the scrum base, along with Cameron Smith, and we tried to catch them off guard and give the scrum a push," Ennis explained. We were able to do that and they came up with an error and me being me and with the week that we'd had and what I had wanted to achieve down there, I was probably overexcited to be honest.