Cowboys winger Kyle Feldt has vowed to never repeat the shoulder charge he described as a "brain fart" that cost him three weeks on the sideline and almost the regular position in the North Queensland backline that he had worked so hard to lock down.
The return of Feldt at the expense of Javid Bowen is one of three changes to the team that lost to the Wests Tigers last Sunday with Ben Hannant out for a month and Ray Thompson coming in at hooker for the injured Jake Granville.
In announcing his team on Tuesday Cowboys coach Paul Green said that given the form of Bowen on the right wing that reinstating Feldt was not necessarily guaranteed and the try-scoring hero from last year's grand final has promised to never put his position in jeopardy in that way again.
"It was just a big brain fart really," said Feldt when asked about the shoulder charge on Canberra centre Jarrod Croker that came in the final minute of the Cowboys' 26-12 loss in Round 18. "Something happened and ticked me off through the game and I let my emotions get the better of me. The scoreboard got to my head as well.
"It's not in my game to do that. It's the first time I've ever done anything that bad and it's not something I'll ever do again.
"It's not in my nature to be like that so I definitely won't do that again.
"I feel like I've let the team down and let our club down for the three weeks that I was out and it's time to come back and get us on the right foot going into the finals."
Little more than 12 months ago Feldt was playing for the Townsville Blackhawks in the Intrust Super Cup and with Bowen running for more than 150 metres in two of the three games in which Feldt was missing Green said he thought long and hard before naming Feldt to face the Roosters on Sunday.
"It was a tough choice actually," Green said.
"Javid played really well on the weekend so that's the risk you run when you lose your spot through suspension.
"'Feldty' has worked hard, he was pretty contrite about what he did last time so I think he probably feels he needs to make up for it. This is his opportunity."
The loss to the Tigers last week was the first time the Cowboys had suffered back-to-back defeats in 12 months and a fully-fit Feldt admitted that he felt helpless having to watch on from the sidelines.
"It's a bit hard sitting on the sidelines watching the boys run out every week, especially when you're fit and healthy knowing you can actually go out there and run around without being injured or anything," said the 24-year-old.
"That's the hardest thing, just sitting there watching the boys go into battle without you.
"For the first week I was really annoyed and upset about what I'd done. But I thought that I had to move past that and really concentrate on what I had to do throughout the three weeks that I was off.
"Really focus on my training and getting everything else right off the field so I'm ready to go when I get a chance to come back.
"You're training throughout the weeks to have a game so for the last few weeks I've just been training for the sake of training. Now I get to actually put the jersey on again and run out and have some fun.
"The main thing is to come back into the team and start from where I left off three weeks ago. Come back in and do my job to the best of my ability like I always do."
