Penrith caretaker coach Cameron Ciraldo has revealed meeting with NRL referees boss Bernard Sutton as he searches for ways to arrest the Panthers' pre-finals slump.
The Panthers face the prospect of entering the playoffs on a three-game losing streak should they fail to upset ladder leaders Melbourne in their final regular-season game on Friday.
And despite being just three games into his role as interim coach, Ciraldo confronted Sutton to address some areas of concern around his side.
The Panthers are giving away a league-high 9.3 penalties this season.
"There's a lot of frustration out there, especially last week. Every 50-50 call went against us. And when you're down on luck and form, it's hard to turn it around," Ciraldo said on Thursday.
"You need something to go your way. I've spoken to the refs boss this week and he agreed about a number of points. A lot of them he agreed on, some he didn't."
Ciraldo is hoping the luck will turn for a Panthers side that are also staring at an elimination final out of Sydney should they go down to the Storm.
Seventh-placed Brisbane, who face Manly, and the eighth-placed Warriors, who meet Canberra, are in hot form and a strong chance of hosting elimination finals.
On the flipside, a win would put the pressure on top four sides Sydney Roosters, South Sydney and Cronulla to remain two points ahead of Penrith in their games later in the round.
Having entered their past three matches as favourites - with a golden-point win over Gold Coast their only positive result - the Panthers travel to Melbourne as outsiders.
The Storm are celebrating champion fullback Billy Slater's final regular-season home game.
"No one really expects us to win tomorrow. In that regard, the pressure might be off a little bit but we expect to perform well. We'll have expectations on ourselves," Ciraldo said.
Hooker Wayde Egan remains in doubt after picking up a knee injury last week, but skipper James Maloney is certain to return from a two-week absence with his own knee issue.
"You could see he's a different person since he's been off and had a break. He's come back and his leadership this week, his energy's around the group's been outstanding," Ciraldo said.
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