A devastated Simpson, who said he thought about the incident "non-stop" after it was made public last Wednesday, believed it wasn't the reason the Kangaroos were humbled by 54 points in a lacklustre performance.
"You don't want to have the focus taken away from your routine, and you'd like to think it didn't affect the way we played. But people are going to draw their own theories from that," he said after the game.
"My mindset going in was no different to any other week. I know it was a big week, but I thought we had a go in the first half and then things didn't work out.
"You go in with intent of playing well and you cannot use what happened during the week as an excuse. I hope people don't.”
Simpson said it was quality opposition and sloppy ball use that contributed to the result more than the events of the week leading up to Sunday’s game.
"The fact was we were beaten by a better team. We butchered the ball inside 50 and they ran all over us in the last half.
"You can't put that down to mindset. We had the same inside-50s. They used the ball better and we probably had too many passengers.
"You can't have four or five guys down these days. You can probably carry one person, if they're developing or an up and comer, but the rest has to contribute."
Speculation surrounded the availability of Simpson and Daniel Pratt after the pair took responsibility for the production of the infamous video. The North onballer admitted it was a distraction he could have done without, but says his focus was the same once the match got underway.
"I suppose through experience, I worry about a lot of external things anyway. Normally, it's footy related," he said.
"Then when I run out onto the ground, it's when I narrow the concentration onto myself.
"While I've been non-stop thinking about it, I was hoping I'd switch on as soon as I got out there."
The veteran midfielder, who appeared emotionally and physically drained after the match, said he was "numb" when asked how he rated his 28-disposal game.
He also said he would have sacrificed his own form for a win after the tumultuous week.
While the incident had continued to haunt him, he said he was determined to put it in the past and focus on the rest of the season.
"I've been looking forward for a couple of days, probably since Thursday afternoon when I thought the worst of it was over," he said.
"I really wanted to win today and play well, but we didn't win and people will create their own theories on why we lost.
"We wanted to win, not because of what happened during the week but because of where we are in the season.
"The fact is, we didn't play well enough and we were beaten by a better side."
