Matt Lodge has been cleared of any foul play on Brandon Smith, with the Manly prop admitting he would have been distraught if his tackle ruptured the hooker's ACL again.
Smith is expected to miss up to eight weeks with a torn medial ligament, after Lodge fell on the back of his leg in his comeback game with South Sydney following an ACL rupture last September.
Lodge on Monday avoided a dangerous-contact charge, with NRL indicators for hip-drop tackles clearing Lodge given his body landed on the ground before Smith's leg.
Souths coach Wayne Bennett claimed after Sunday's loss to Manly that Lodge was lucky not to be penalised, before Smith took to social media to defend his former Sydney Roosters teammate.
"I couldn't live with myself if I hurt his knee again," Lodge said.
"I went through that (ACL injury) a few years ago. I was more concerned about making sure he was all right (than any penalty).
"More important to me is Brandon Smith. He's a good mate of mine. He's coming to my birthday next week."
Speaking before the charge sheet was released, Lodge insisted he felt there was nothing wrong with the tackle.
"It wasn't like he was driving his legs and I sat back on the back of his legs," Lodge said.
"Wayne's played the game. He probably knows sometimes you fall in those positions. There was no intentional malice."
Unsigned by Manly at the end of last year, Lodge had talks with Souths and St George Illawarra fizzle out before the Sea Eagles offered him a NSW Cup deal as a lifeline.
The terms of that offer mean Lodge has an option to take up a full-time NRL deal with Manly again next year, elevating him back to the club's top-30 contracts after two seasons of train-and-trial contracts.
"I reckon I might have set the record for the most train and trials," Lodge said.
"They are tough to play on. You're playing for the love of it. The kids probably eat the contract in three days. That's why I top it off with work a couple of days a week."
NRL rules prevented Lodge playing NRL until round 11 on a NSW Cup deal, while he was also restricted to one training session a week.
Lodge spent that time building his house, working in construction and boxing, supplementing his income and taking his mind off the fact he was losing his football fitness.
But he says he has dropped several kilograms since returning to full-time training, and believes he has a number of NRL seasons left in him.
"Six weeks ago I wasn't at my fittest. I probably took a couple of pies at work and put on a few kilos. But I also wasn't training full-time," Lodge said.
"You can't get fit at footy without doing footy.
"I probably went full-time a month ago. They've ripped six or seven kilos off me already. That just comes with training and playing."
