GREATER Western Sydney midfielder Tomas Bugg says he had no intention of taking out St Kilda captain Nick Riewoldt in the final quarter of Sunday's game at Etihad Stadium.
Riewoldt had his eyes fixed on a contest before Bugg cannoned into the Saints’ skipper, who was left in the hands of club medical staff for several minutes.
The Giants' 50-gamer was cleared of any wrongdoing by the AFL’s match review panel on Monday.
Bugg spoke exclusively to AFL.com.au and said, "From my end it was unintentional, I was just going for the ball," he said.
"It's good to see Nick's OK, and I think that's the main thing to come out of it.
"I saw him last minute and just braced myself. I looked at the vision, and I don't even react to it because I didn't think there was anything wrong."
Bugg, who turned 22 on the day he played the Saints, said was shocked to see Riewoldt on the ground for so long.
St Kilda's inspirational leader has been cleared of any serious injury, but some media outlets and Saints' coach Alan Richardson questioned Bugg's intentions during and after the game.
"I sent Nick a text after the game just making sure he was OK, and I didn't pay much attention to what was being said in the media," Bugg said.
"He hasn't got back to me, but I just wanted to send my regards and make sure he was OK.
"I'm glad the Match Review Panel saw that it was unintentional, and at the end of the day I thought I was pretty sweet."
GWS coach Leon Cameron leapt to the defence of his tough midfielder, and said he had no problems with the collision.
"Tom Bugg is a ball player. You could clearly see that he was anticipating that Nick was going to take the footy and he was ready to tackle him," Cameron said.
Cameron also praised Bugg's influence on the tight contest after the hit, in what was an important win for the Giants.
"Tom Bugg's last 15 minutes of the game was pivotal, he made some crucial decisions for a fourth-year player," Cameron said.
"He likes playing the game tough and we love that about him. That's why he's always in our starting 18 and I thought he was terrific on the weekend."
