Geelong captain Joel Selwood said his frustration at his side's poor performance against Collingwood on Sunday was the reason for the "awkward" meeting with Collingwood skipper Scott Pendlebury after the final siren.
The pair were seen bumping each other and talking before the final siren sounded, with Pendlebury then sticking out his hand for Selwood to shake, before the pair still sharing words after going their separate ways.
Speaking on the matter for the first time since the incident, Selwood joined Pendlebury and Herald Sun journalist Jay Clark on the Jock and Journo Podcast, and said he just made a negative comment about the Pies' start to the season, and maintained he said nothing malicious.
โIt (the exchange) was more just disappointment that we (Cats) came to play the way we did and he (Pendlebury) was the one closest to me (on the siren), so I was taking a little bit of that frustration out on him,โ Selwood said.
โLevi had got me again and did a really good number on me and I had just got my licence back (after a speeding offence) so I thought Scott was going to ask me to take me back to the Holden Centre and do some recovery.โ
Certain personalities suggested Selwood was a "sore loser" after the vision surfaced, but the three-time premiership player said it couldn't be further from the truth.
โItโs an opinion someone will take. Iโve been fortunate to be in a position where Iโve won a lot of games,โ he said.
โTo be called that โ a sore loser โ it doesnโt sit well with me.
โIโm not going to get upset with it. I donโt think itโs me as a person, and it doesnโt say who I am.
โEven in the rooms after the game, I was sitting down next to Paddy (Dangerfield) and Andrew Mackie and we were just talking about next time what weโve got to do when we come up against the Pies next.
Despite seemingly losing his cool with Collingwood'sย Levi Greenwood on several occasions, Selwood praised the game of his opposite number, and said there was nothing wrong with his tactics.
โHe (Greenwood) played the game quite well and he has played on me a few times before, so itโs just about preparing for those match-ups and working out where you want to take Levi on the day and how you want to play him,โ he said.
โYou do need some help, because when you do come up against a good opponent like that, it is hard to get off the lead sometimes,โ he said.
โThe best help that can happen is the guys around you winning the ball and on the day we just didnโt have enough guys that won contests.
โScott and I have both been tagged and itโs definitely easier when you have got runs on the board against someone like Levi.
โI do need to have a good win against him because it has been a while since I have got him, and even when he was at the Kangaroos โฆ he is quick and he is strong and he is really disciplined the way he goes about things.โ
โAnd it was just about getting better straight away rather than even worrying about the loss too much.โ