See the larrikin moments that made Terry Hill a true footy cult hero before his shock death aged just 52

Footy great Terry Hill won a grand final and starred for the NSW Blues and Australia before his shock death aged 52 - so it's telling that he's being remembered just as much for what he did off the field as what he did on it.

The Manly legend died of a heart attack in the Philippines recently, leaving the rugby league world in shock at the loss of one of the game's most colourful characters.

Hill played 246 games in a club career that saw him run out for Souths, Easts, Wests, Manly and the Wests Tigers, as well as playing 14 matches for NSW and another nine for his country.

He played a big role in driving the Sea Eagles to the 1996 premiership and was known for his take-no-prisoners style of play in State of Origin and international footy, but is equally loved by fans for his larrikin ways.

Hill's flair for comedy and love of entertaining was showcased during his regular appearances on The Footy Show at the height of the program's fame.

A noted greyhound racing fan and dog owner, he was best-known for hosting live crosses to dishlicker races, especially at Dapto on the NSW south coast.

During one particularly memorable cross that still does the rounds on social media, he threw the panel in the studio into fits of laughter as he interviewed a nearly toothless greyhound fan named George Baggana.

Suited up in a sparkling gold jacket and bow tie combination that was completely out of place in the very casual surrounds at Dapto, he asked Baggana to 'give the crowd a big smile' - prompting him to reply, 'I've got nothing to smile with!'

Hill played a big role in the show owning its own greyhound named 'Nads' - so anyone supporting him in a race would yell 'Go Nads!' - and the dog became so famous in its own right that the footy star even took it to movie premieres to interview famous actors. 

Hill was also well known for his lisp - but instead of shying away from it, he loved playing it up and having the mickey taken out of him.

In another live cross from Dapto, Hill pretended to be stunned and insulted when he read the odds for one race - only to find they'd all been changed to '66 to one' to get him to show off his speech impediment.

His mistakes reading the Footy Show scripts became a trademark and proved he loved poking fun at himself as he described the atmosphere at Dapto as 'electronic' instead of 'electric', and pronounced 'anticipation' 'am-patip-patipitation'.   

'Tezza' also cracked up Hollywood superstar Keanu Reeves during a one-on-one interview on the show by ambushing him with a hilarious question about one of his biggest movies.

'Rugby league has had a lot of drug problems lately, you know, with drugs in the sport,' he began.

'But obviously not for you. You made a lot of money out of speed a couple of years ago.'

Reeves cracked up, hid his eyes with his hand before answering, 'Speed, yes - speed is good!'

It's little wonder former Footy Show boss Glenn Pallister described him as 'the first player to really show a personality and we went, wow! This guy's a talent!'

Pallister recalled Hill - who was widely regarded as one of the sport's best sledgers - coming up against a Queenslander in Origin who was also a regular on the program and putting him off his game by yelling, 'Mate, your segment on The Footy Show's s**thouse!'

The Newtown-born entertainer was also hilarious away from the TV cameras.

His teammate at Wests Tigers, Joel Caine, said the club told players to buy brand-new bikes for training purposes during Hill's stint with the team.

'He refused to buy the bike - and he was probably the highest-paid player at the club,' Caine recalled.

'He turns up with the oldest bike he could find, one with a basket and tassels, no gears or anything like that, and so [trainer] Tony Green is into him ... and Terry said, "When was the last time you saw somebody ride a bike to score a try?"'

Hill also cracked up every fan at Leichhardt Oval with a stunning piece of theatre in a match against Parramatta.  

With the Tigers leading 12-0 and defending their tryline, he tried to tackle Nathan Hindmarsh but got thrown off and handed headfirst on the turf.

Hill popped straight back up, went to marker, pointed at Hindmarsh as if to tell the ref he deserved to be penalised... then crashed to the ground like he'd been shot by a tranquilliser dart.

Looking for all the world like he was in a deep sleep, Hill stayed motionless with his eyes closed as the trainers rushed over to treat him.

Suddenly, Hill opened his eyes, shook his head from side to side like he'd been woken from a deep sleep by having a bucket of cold water thrown over him, and completely recovered.

It was the sort of hammy acting you'd expect from a skit on The Footy Show - and just the sort of hysterical display that brought Hill just as much fame and adoration as any of the tries he scored.