Wests Tigers coach Ivan Cleary has accused Cronulla skipper Paul Gallen of diving in a fiery post-script to his side's heartbreaking 22-16 NRL loss.
The Tigers were brave in defeat after suffering a horror injury toll with a disallowed try to James Tedesco in the first half proving telling on Saturday night.
Tedesco was denied a four-pointer by the bunker in the 23rd minute after Wests Tigers captain Aaron Woods was ruled to have pulled on Gallen's jumper and taken out the Sharks veteran.
It was ruled that the hole which Tedesco fired through next to the ruck was created when Gallen fell to the ground as a result of Woods' tug on his jersey.
While there is no doubt the space for Tedesco to cross was created when Gallen was pulled down, Cleary said the former NSW skipper was guilty of theatrics and playing for a penalty.
"Our game is different to other football codes, one in particular, we don't condone diving," Cleary said.
"But we did tonight. I'll leave it at that."
The Sharks eventually got home after losing Tedesco (concussion) and Woods (hamstring) for most of the match.
A 69th-minute Chad Townsend try eventually broke the hearts of the 13,405 fans packed into Leichhardt Oval but the fans will never know whether things would have turned out different had Tedesco's try stood.
Gallen bristled at the suggestion he played for a penalty and said the evidence was there for all to see.
"You saw it on the video didn't you," Gallen said.
"He grabbed me. If he didn't grab me it wouldn't have been a penalty. Pretty simple.
"It's on video mate. It's there for everyone to see. You can't grab the marker."
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