Upon reflection, Collingwood coach Craig McRae knew he took it too far against GWS on Sunday.
McRae's verbal stoush with both former colleague and Giants coach Adam Kingsley, as well as tagger Toby Bedford, was widely documented, but was downplayed immediately after the match.
Speaking four days after the event, which saw the AFL only hand down a warning to the Pies 2023 premiership coach, the message of regret was loud and clear.
"I'm really โฆ how do I word this? I'm cheeky โฆ I'm cheeky and I've got a great relationship with Kingers (Kingsley)," McRae told media on Wednesday.
"So I have a bit of banter with Kingers, but then I realised really quickly [my fault] โ particularly when my wife tells me the next day, 'You can't do that, Craig'.
"I understand for the look of the game, it's not what we want, [also] for the AFL or for young coaches aspiring to be more than that.
"Sometimes, I get a bit too cheeky but I apologise for that."
McRae reflected on his incident and felt that it doesn't have a place in the game, saying it's not appropriate at the top flight, the same as it would be at local levels.
"I don't think it's good for the game," he said.
"My little girl plays at Williamstown Under 10s and if her coach was doing that to the other under 10s, I'd be going: 'Come on mate, what are you doing?'
"I can be cheeky to him (Kingsley) during the week, but I've got a responsibility for the game."
It was flagged on Wednesday to McRae that Melbourne captain Max Gawn declared he "had form" in this space, saying he questioned former Demon Alex Neal-Bullen's tagging tactics in the 2024 King's Birthday clash.
But as he felt then with Neal-Bullen and now with Bedford, McRae understands there's a way to protect your players.
"I love to protect our players, but again, there's a level within the role model I want to be," McRae said.
"I stand here with great values and morals and I want to represent us and our players really, really well.
"There'll be a time in my life when I won't be doing this, so I've got an opportunity for a broader reach here.
"Laura (Kane) and I spoke about that and I apologised to Laura. I said: 'I know I've stepped over, but that was in the context of just two mates with great respect for each other. I understand where my stance in the game needs to be better'."
The Pies will get a chance to seek redemption on Saturday when they play at the MCG against Port Adelaide.
Star recruit Dan Houston will feature for the first time in black and white.
Jeremy Howe looks to have overcome any issues regarding his knee while Josh Daicos will be a test after rolling his ankle last week.
