Manly should not have been penalised for a forward pass in the dying seconds of their loss to Parramatta, according to NRL head of football Graham Annesley.
The Eels took an 18-2 lead over the Sea Eagles in their clash at Bankwest Stadium on Saturday, and Manly's epic comeback fell short by just three points, after a last-minute try was called back.
Tom Trbojevic looked to have passed the ball behind him, but with his momentum stopped a moment later in a crunching hit, the ball appeared to move well forward.
Annesley said while the "forward pass call was incorrect", it was far from a howler, while he also downplayed whether or not a second referee would have come up with a different call.
"It was called by the touch judge just as it would have been last year. A second referee would have had no impact on that decision," he said Saturday night.
Meanwhile Manly coach Des Hasley said he will be taking up the call with NRL referees boss Bernard Sutton.
"We didn't get much rub of the green tonight," he said. "That goes for referee calls and from [the touch line].
"The other thing I probably saw tonight for the first time was a real inconsistency in the six again rule, so I'll be talking to Bernard Sutton and [referee Ben] Cummins about that."