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Gold Coast halfback Ash Taylor's decision not to attempt a crucial penalty goal in the NRL loss to North Queensland has left coach Garth Brennan stumped.
Gold Coast coach Garth Brennan admits he doesn't know why million-dollar man Ash Taylor had opted not to attempt a crucial penalty in their NRL loss against North Queensland.
After missing a conversion and an earlier penalty in Sunday's game, Taylor left it to halves partner Tyrone Roberts to take the kick inside the final five minutes.
Roberts missed and the Cowboys held on for a 6-4 victory after a final-play tackle from Kyle Feldt denied Brian Kelly a match-winning try in the corner.
Brennan said after the game he had no idea why his under-fire playmaker hadn't taken on the responsibility of kicking the goal.
"You'd have to ask Ash about that one," Brennan said.
"I'm not sure why he didn't take it. He might have an injury. He might lack confidence. He might not have been comfortable on that side of the field. I'm not sure.
"That question's going to have to be answered by Ash as to why he didn't take that shot."
Taylor's reluctance left Andrew Johns stumped in the Nine Network commentary box, with the ex-NSW and Australian halfback saying the scenario was one a confident goalkicker dreamed of.
The 24-year-old has been under pressure for his performance for several weeks, with critics including Parramatta great Peter Sterling unsure if Taylor is living up to his hefty contract at the struggling Titans.
One of the chief criticisms of Taylor's 2019 campaign has been a reluctance to take on a dominant role, with Roberts emerging as the key decision maker in their pairing.
Sunday's match completed a tight round of games over the weekend with just four competition points between fourth and 13th on the ladder.
There were four games played over four days as eight teams had the bye due to Wednesday's State of Origin opener.
Penrith were without Blues halfback Nathan Cleary but managed to win consecutive games for the first time this season on Thursday, downing Manly 15-12.
The win lifts the Panthers off the bottom of the ladder and relieves some pressure on coach Ivan Cleary.
Parramatta coach Brad Arthur dropped four players for Friday's clash with an Origin-depleted South Sydney and his men responded to beat the table toppers 26-14.
England international John Bateman was the man of the round after returning early from a fractured eye socket to lead Canberra past the Bulldogs on Saturday 12-10.
Raiders five-eighth Aidan Sezer came back from reserve grade for his first NRL match since round two and helped Canberra to snap a three-game losing streak.
It means coach Ricky Stuart has a tough decision to make when Jack Wighton returns from NSW duties. Halfback Sam Williams might lose his spot.
Stuart also looks likely to be without 20-year-old Hudson Young who has been charged with eye gouging and is looking at five to seven weeks on the sidelines.
