NRL great Johnathan Thurston was left stunned after an obvious knock-on during Parramatta’s 22-20 win against Penrith was missed by the officials.
With the Eels leading by four points late in the first half, Penrith appeared to get lucky when winger Taylan May scored in the corner moments after an apparent missed knock-on in the lead-up.
Viliame Kikau, who set May up for the try with a sneaky grubber, in the lead up to that scoring play looked to cleanly lose possession before the loose ball was scooped up by Penrith, with play allowed to continue.
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The missed call shocked Thurston, who questioned how officials didn’t see the apparent error.
“You can’t let them go, oh my goodness!” Thurston said during Nine’s broadcast.
“There are two touch judges, a referee, and a bunker – we cannot be missing that in big games! It cannot happen.
“It can’t happen. This is the NRL, we’re better than that.”
While the try closed the gap for Penrith, the Eels pulled away late in the second half and held in a thrilling final five minutes to win.
Tries to Ryan Matterson (66th-minute) and Dylan Brown (69) handed the Eels an eight-point lead before Spencer Leniu crossed over with just over three minutes to play to cut the deficit.
The win for Parramatta puts an end to a week of criticism after they were thumped by 31 points last week at the hands of North Queensland.
Meanwhile, the Penrith’s unbeaten start to the season came to an end.
The Panthers still remain on top of the table.
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