AAP | 23/07/09 | 0
Queensland prop Steve Price today drew the curtain on the fight that left him unconscious during last week's final State of Origin clash.
Price resumes his acquaintance with New South Wales opposite Justin Poore on Sunday when he skippers the New Zealand Warriors against NRL leaders St George Illawarra.
Poore was the object of plenty of Queensland vitriol after Origin 3 in Brisbane.
As Price lay unconscious after taking a punch from Brett White and then being blindsided by Trent Waterhouse, Poore lifted him up and dropped him.
Price said Poore called him this week, a move he described "as pretty courageous".
"It was a pretty big call to make," Price said.
"If it was me and I didn't mean to do it, I would feel pretty bad and hopefully he can move on and we can all move on."
Price accepted Poore's explanation that he intended no harm.
Poore told him that he didn't know why he picked him up, realised he shouldn't be doing that and then let him go, which only made things look worse.
Price had earlier received a call from White, who wanted to know if he was okay.
Asked if the fight and its aftermath was done and dusted, Price said: "In my view it is, yes. I don't condone fighting on the footy field.
"I've always said if you want to fight, you go to a boxing ring and do it and good luck to you. My view certainly hasn't changed on that."
He hoped the incident wouldn't linger through to next year's Origin series, "because I think everyone is getting a bit over it now".
"Most of the (Origin) players played on the weekend and it was a chance for everyone to get into their club colours and move on from Queensland versus New South Wales."
Because of the concussion he received, Price was stood down last Sunday and missed the Warriors' 30-24 win over the Sydney Roosters in Sydney.
Meanwhile, Price described as "mind-blowing news" the results of a poll that showed NRL referees considered him one of the worst captains to deal with.
A survey by Australian magazine Rugby League Week found that match officials rated Price and Manly's Matt Orford the most difficult.
"It's disappointing because you think you have a pretty good rapport with the referees," Price said.
"I thought I did, but obviously I don't."
Price accepted that referees had a tough task, and he had a lot of respect for them and never went out of his way to make their job any harder.
"On the other hand, it's my job to make sure that things are going the same way for both sides on the field," he said.
"I can't always be the bearer of good news. They're the same, they don't always make you happy either."
If it was me and I didn't mean to do it, I would feel pretty bad and hopefully he can move on and we can all move on.
Warriors captain Steve Price
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