James Tamou insists there was no malice and instantly regretted his hit on Sam Walker that has seen him rubbed out of the start of the NRL season.
The Wests Tigers co-captain's one-game ban headlined a Saturday of pre-season controversy around the match review committee, with Lindsay Collins also able to escape with a fine for dangerous contact.
Tamou found himself in trouble when he attacked the legs of Sydney Roosters halfback Walker in the Tigers' 16-8 trial win on Friday night.
The contact prompted immediate criticism, with Tamou's former Origin teammate Michael Ennis claiming in commentary the prop could have broken Walker's leg.
But Tamou will only miss one game for the incident, able to take an early guilty plea and be back for round two against Newcastle after sitting out the opener against Melbourne.
"I think it was just too keen and too much energy to start the game," Tamou said.
"I knew straight away, a young kid like that, I meant no malice to him.
"I don't know why I went so low for, I must have almost made contact with the ground.
"I don't want to miss any game whatsoever. Especially coming off such a positive win like that."
Tamou's ban comes in the same week he was named as part of a five-man leadership group at the club, expanding beyond his sole captaincy last year.
That move attracted headlines, before the club rebounded from their first-up trial loss to Manly against the Roosters.
But Tamou said it was important the Tigers found a way to perform other than being spurred on by losses and scrutiny after 10 straight years out of the finals.
"It was pretty intense, the whole week. It was pretty good coming off the last week (against the Sea Eagles)," Tamou added.
"The most pleasing thing was everyone took that seriously. Which was good to see going into round one.
"We can't have this we need a loss to get fired up business. So we need to keep that same attitude going into round one."
Meanwhile Collins will be able to escape with a $750 fine if he takes an early guilty plea for dangerous contact on Jackson Hastings.
Collins was the third man into a tackle and took Hastings' legs, but coach Trent Robinson also downplayed the incident.
"(Lindsay's) wasn't a cannonball. I think it was the way he fell," Robinson said.
"But after what happened last week with (Tyrell Fuimaono on Haze Dunster) it's not a bad thing to pull up in a trial either."
