ULISE FAHINA didn't realise what he had done until he got into the sheds.

Moments earlier, the promising Sydney Roosters teenager was involved in one of the most violent acts witnessed on a football field.

As a brawl broke out between the Roosters and St George Illawarra in their final-round Toyota Cup clash, Fahina inexplicably ran in and kicked opposing winger Daniel Nicastri flush in the face while he lay defenceless on the turf. It was an uncharacteristic moment of madness for the devout Mormon, who was suspended for all of 2009 for that and another indiscretion stemming from the fiery match.

Speaking for the first time about the incident, a remorseful Fahina hoped other aspiring sports stars would learn from his mistake.

"I just remember after I kicked him, I got sent off straight away," Fahina told The Sun-Herald .

"I just went off. I didn't realise [what I did] till I was in the sheds. I just want to say that is just not me.

"For young kids, I don't want them to make the same mistake I did."

The 18-year-old fronted the NRL judiciary in his Patrician Brothers high school blazer. NRL counsel Peter Kite said Fahina had run more than 10 metres to sink the slipper. That he may have been banned for life had he been an experienced first-grader. Fahina's medicine - 25 weeks for the kicking incident and a further week for a contrary conduct charge from the same match. A year on the sidelines.

It's a bitter blow for a talent described by Roosters recruitment whiz Peter O'Sullivan as a "potential 10-year first grader".

Fahina said he wanted to be remembered for more in the game than one brain - and boot - explosion. He is adamant he is not a thug.

"A lot of people already know [about me]," he said.

"They ask me if I'm the guy in the paper. I say 'yeah' and they ask me questions but I walk away."

The Roosters and Fahina have taken steps to ensure the incident will be the last of his career. Refereeing and coaching courses. Mentoring sessions with senior Rooster Lopini Paea. Charity work for the St Vincent de Paul Society. Monthly visits to a police liaison officer. Fahina even penned six letters - including to the judiciary, sponsors and the NRL - pleading for forgiveness.