Another round, another NRL bunker controversy.
Cronulla coach Shane Flanagan has ensured officials will come under scrutiny for yet another week after claiming the refereeing was "not up to scratch" in their 12-10 loss to Brisbane at Suncorp Stadium.
Barely seven days ago Flanagan urged players to "play to the whistle" and talked down two officials' howlers that marred the Sharks' win over Canberra.
However, he didn't waste time taking aim at officials after Thursday night's loss in Brisbane, claiming Cronulla were on the wrong end of "too many" bad calls.
Asked at the start of the post-match press conference where the game was lost, Flanagan said "with a couple of decisions in my book".
His biggest gripe was the bunker's decision to not award a 26th minute try to centre Ricky Leutele.
Referee Grant Atkins recommended a try but video officials overruled it after replays suggested Brisbane fullback Jamayne Isaako's boot stopped the ball from touching the ground.
"I think any fair judge would find it hard to find sufficient evidence to overrule the on-field decision," Flanagan said.
"We were on the positive end last week, we are on the negative end this week.
"There was just too many of them (tough calls). That refereeing standard wasn't up to scratch.
"We didn't execute great but (those calls are) the reasons we didn't win."
It was in stark contrast to the way Flanagan brushed aside gaffes that tarnished their victory over Canberra.
"You're always taught as young kids to play to the whistle ... you get a bit of luck in some games and we might have got a little bit then," Flanagan said after the calls that went his team's way in round 19.
Flanagan may face an anxious wait as the NRL reviews his post-match Suncorp Stadium comments.
The Sharks mentor copped a $30,000 fine during last year's finals for reading a list of officials' "errors" at a post-match press conference.
The fallout over the mistakes in Cronulla's last round win over Canberra prompted a plea from NRL CEO Todd Greenberg for officials to "get better" before the finals.
But referees are again in the headlines after Flanagan's spray.
Flanagan only briefly mentioned what could have been a telling factor - Cronulla halfback Chad Townsend missing a conversion right in front that would have given the visitors a 12-10 lead.
"In the end we should have kicked that goal ... who knows, we might have gone to golden point," Flanagan said.
