The sight of Parramatta hooker Tallyn Da Silva trying to milk a penalty late in the game on Sunday night was one of the most embarrassing things witnessed in the NRL this season.

Da Silva was collared by North Queensland forward Kaiden Lahrs and thought he was about to receive a fresh set, or even a shot at goal, in the 77th minute.

When the dummy half realised referee Liam Kennedy was not going to blow his whistle, he put his left hand to the top of his head and rolled around on the ground in a performance that would have made any footballer in Serie A or the Premier League proud.

Da Silva found himself on the end of several verbal blasts from Mitchell Moses – and the Eels skipper would have been well within his rights to give him a fresh bake for the childish carry-on.

Kennedy ordered Da Silva to play the ball, the bunker felt no need to intervene – they can only do so if they believe the tackle was a chargeable offence – and Lahrs’s name was nowhere to be seen on the........

© The Age