Dragons coach Shane Flanagan expressed his frustration with the officiating following a contentious defeat to the Bulldogs on Sunday, asserting that the outcome was "not decided in the right way."
The Dragons, who entered the match as heavy underdogs, narrowly missed out on a win in golden point after the Bulldogs received advantageous field position due to a controversial strip penalty against the Dragons.
Flanagan did not limit his critiques to just one decision; he mentioned to the media post-game that there were "six or seven" calls he found problematic in the 15-14 loss.
"The effort and attitude was outstanding and credit to the Bulldogs they got the field goal right but I felt that maybe a draw was probably the right decision today," Flanagan said.
He elaborated on the broader context, saying, "It's a tricky one because I think the NRL's done an outstanding job. The week's just been fantastic. Every promotion we've had to do, the Fremont Street and everything and then the game just decided like that. It's disappointing."
His irritation was palpable, especially given his team's immense defensive effort; the Bulldogs managed 41 tackles within the Dragons' 20-meter zone, compared to only nine by the Red V.