It was the incident that hung over the opening week of the NRL finals, but Hudson Young has said that the headbutting incident between he and Reece Walsh was simply the 'heat of the battle'.
Both Walsh and Young were sin-binned during the finals clash between Brisbane and Canberra, after the pair had a heated on-field moment, resulting in the Broncos young star headbutting Young.
With the judiciary ruling that Walsh would be fined for the incident, Young has reflected on what happened and how it led to a historic comeback.
Hudson Young claims 'heat of the battle' caused Reece Walsh incident
Raiders star Hudson Young has broken his silence on his incident with Reece Walsh, after tensions boiled over between the two in the first week of the NRL finals.
Young admitted he instigated the altercation, but he was not expecting for Walsh to react in the manner that he did.
"It’s just the way that I play the game," Young said.
"I like getting into players, and players give it back as well. Obviously, I wasn’t expecting to be headbutted. But I guess, sometimes, when you do get in people’s faces, sometimes, you’re going to pay the price, and I got headbutted. And so what?
"As a player, you look back, reflect, and see what I could have done in that situation.
"I probably just need to keep my distance if I’m going to say something, but it’s just the heat of the battle.
"Obviously, I’ve got my thoughts around it and everyone’s got their thoughts as well, but the refs made their decision, the bunker made their decision, and we need to respect that."
Walsh was handed a $3,000 fine for his headbutt on Young, but helped his team complete a miracle comeback win which sees them move one win away from the Grand Final.