Fifita defends

CRONULLA wrecking ball Andrew Fifita insists he did nothing wrong and has ‘‘no regrets’’ about supporting criminal friend Kieran Loveridge, but says he understands why his public backing of the one-punch killer caused such outrage.

Fifita was recently handed a consorting notice by police, given his long-time association with Loveridge, but it was his decision to write ‘‘F.K.L’’ (a tribute to Loveridge) on his strapping during Sharks matches that saw Fifita hit with a barrage of abuse for his insensitive gesture.

‘‘At the end of the day, the [NRL] integrity [unit] know about it,’’ Fifita said after his side booked a ticket to the grand final with a comfortable victory over the Cowboys on Friday night.

‘‘From my belief, and everyone knows the story of my friendship, and my family know what it meant. I have no regrets about that. I know it was wrong from a public’s [perspective] looking inside. I couldn’t speak about it [at the time]. I’m pretty positive and upbeat about it.’’

Loveridge, who is serving a minimum of 10 years for manslaughter for his infamous onepunch attack that led to the death of Thomas Kelly in Kings Cross in 2012, has long been friends with Fifita having grown up in similar surroundings.

Fifita maintains his loyalty to