Jaeman Salmon, the second rower for Canterbury Bulldogs, acknowledged the "a bit of theatrics" following an incident with Alex Twal during their emphatic 32-0 win against the Wests Tigers on Saturday night.
The incident unfolded late in a dominating match at Accor Stadium, where the Tigers struggled to find any points.
Twal received a sin bin punishment for striking Salmon in the face with an open hand, shortly after teammate Latu Fainu was penalized for dangerous contact with Leo Thompson, leaving the Tigers with only 11 players for a critical five minutes.
Referee Tyson Brough remarked, "It's an open hand strike. It's totally unnecessary, you're in the bin," addressing the Tigers lock directly.
Post-game, Salmon was keen to minimize the conflict, expressing no lingering animosity.
"It didn't hurt that much," he shared with Newswire while in the Bulldogs' locker room.
"It was a bit of theatrics with it, I guess, but what happens on the field stays on the field, and I'm sure Twal is a good fella," he added.
"It was just a bit of push and shove. I might have got under his skin a bit, but it's all good. It was rugby league. I never really thought about throwing a punch; I'm not much of a fighter."
Salmon reflected, "It was probably frustrating (for him). You look up on the scoreboard, and tensions were high, so I must have got under his skin a bit."