GOLD Coast co-captain Steven May admits his heart skipped a beat when his shoulder clipped the chin of Western Bulldogs forward Tom Boyd during the final game of the JLT Community Series.

When Boyd hit the ground, May feared he may once again fall foul of the Match Review Panel and be forced to sit out the QClash against the Brisbane Lions in round one.

Having served five weeks' suspension for shirt fronting Lions ruckman Stefan Martin in round four last year May had held his arms up and tried his best to avoid Boyd.

"He [Boyd] had himself opened up so I tried to pull out," May told AFL.com.au.

However, as his shoulder clipped Boyd's chin like a high jumper just failing to clear the bar, May momentarily panicked.

"When I saw him on the ground, because it was completely accidental, I was just like 'No, no, no, not [again]'… obviously last year was stupid [but] this year was an accident," May said.

"I was a little bit nervous because it was a Thursday game and the Match Review Panel wasn't until Monday but I was very happy [to be in the clear]."

May was apologetic after last season's incident and there is no residual animosity between him and Martin.

However, the combination of an unprecedented injury list and May's suspension saw the Suns' season go off track after the loss to the Lions.

He said he had learned his lesson and as co-captain knew it was critical he did not miss games through suspension.

"The actual incident itself was a high-speed accident, but I learned a lot from the suspension, watching the team lose, what they were going through and not being able to help. You feel like it's your fault," May said.

The new co-captain is one of the game's best defenders and remains crucial the club's chances of clawing their way up the ladder in 2017.