Cronulla captain Paul Gallen says he accused referee Alan Shortall of laughing at him after being illegally tackled below the knees.
But Gallen told Fairfax Media late on Saturday his outburst during the loss to Sydney Roosters was in the heat of battle and he held no ill-feelings towards the whistler.
"I reckon I got cut below the knees a couple of times and there was one time I just looked back at him and ....," Gallen said.
"I think he knew what happened and he didn't want to blow a penalty. It was in the set leading up to [Shaun Kenny-Dowall's try]. [Todd] Carney kicked it, fifth tackle, and they ran the length. Heat of the moment ... he was probably playing advantage for us."
Earlier, the NSW skipper told the post-match media conference that officiating did not cost Cronulla the match.
"I think the difference in the game was their finishes to their sets - their kicking game was nine out of 10," he said.
Gallen revealed he told NSW coach Laurie Daley early last week he did not expect to be fit enough to play this weekend.
"I said I was nowhere near playing and six days later, I'm playing," he said.
Coach Peter Sharp described Gallen as "out spiritual leader" and described his team's performance as a "much-improved effort".
"What we wanted was a performance and we got a decent one tonight."
