Gold Coast coach Jim Lenihan is fuming after the NRL admitted the Titans should have been awarded a penalty in front of the posts in the closing minutes of Parramatta's 25-24 win over his side on Sunday night.
NRL head of football Graham Annesley conceded at his weekly football briefing on Monday that Eels forwards Ryan Matterson and Shaun Lane were both one metre offside when the ball cleared the ruck before Titans No.7 Tanah Boyd missed a 76th minute field goal attempt at CommBank Stadium.
"They are at least one metre over the goal line as the ball clears the ruck which places them offside," Annesley said.
"There is no doubt that the touch judge on the near side should have called those players offside. When the ball was charged down by Lane the referee (Chris Butler) should have penalised him on the advice of the touch judge, but that advice didn't come."
Gold Coast would have taken a 26-25 lead with a successful penalty goal attempt.
The Titans lost 23-21 in golden point to the Dolphins the previous week when forward Erin Clark was penalised for the same offside infringement as Matterson and Lane's. The Dolphins landed the penalty from in front and won the game.
Lenihan said "it is certainly disappointing that we just can't seem to get a call our way at the moment".
"It is hard to swallow, really hard to swallow," Lenihan told AAP.
"What can I do about it? They are certainly not going to give me two competition points which is what we are playing 80 minutes of football for.
"I am certainly not happy about this. We are working hard to be a club that won't be bullied on the field or off the field."
Lenihan said Eels prop Reagan Campbell-Gillard should also have been penalised a minute later when Boyd missed a second field goal from right in front.
"Campbell-Gillard was not square at marker and was told so by the referee on the mic," Lenihan fumed.
"He still doesn't blow a penalty, one minute after Eels players on the tryline leave early.
"They can't find a penalty twice for us in the last four minutes but find one against us in golden point the week before."
Annesley also reviewed the Campbell-Gillard incident and said it was "a little more subjective" after Butler called him offside. Campbell-Gillard ran five metres before aborting any attempt at charge down.
"If the player responds to the call more often than not the referee won't take action," Annesley said.
Lenihan did not agree there was anything subjective about it.
"It is not subjective when he is told he is not square and is offside. When he moves inside a 10 metre radius of the player (Boyd) the whistle has to be blown for a penalty," he said.
"The same thing happened to us when (Titans winger) Phil Sami had one foot in front of the kicker but by the time the kick lands he is within a 10 metres and they blow a penalty against him."
The Titans are four points outside the top eight and a win against the Eels would have been crucial to their finals hopes.
Lenihan said he had sent NRL referees boss Jared Maxwell an email on Monday morning and wanted to speak to him about Sunday night's incidents and other recent calls that have gone against the Titans.
