Confusion surrounded the dramatic golden point finish between the Parramatta Eels and North Queensland Cowboys after Mitchell Moses slotted a match-winning field goal, only for the referee to then award Parramatta an additional penalty kick.

Moses nailed the one-pointer in golden point, but Cowboys fullback Scott Drinkwater collected his legs in the process, with the referee ruling the contact illegal and blowing a penalty.

What followed left fans, commentators and even players confused.

Rather than simply ending the game after the successful field goal, Parramatta was required to take a penalty goal attempt, giving them the chance to extend the margin from one point to three.

The confusion only deepened when Moses himself questioned the ruling.

"We don't want it", Mitchell responded when the ref blew the whistle, calling a penalty from Drinkwater's tackle.

"It's not a tap, you have to kick the goal", the ref responded.

"But I kicked the field goal," Moses argued.

"That's the rules of the game, mate. It's an extra two points," the ref concluded.

Commentators and rugby league analysts, including Phil Gould, questioned the ruling post-match, while many fans were left wondering what would have happened had Ronald Volkman missed the penalty goal attempt and the ball rebounded back into the field of play.

"If you score a penalty try in golden point, you don't kick the conversion," he said on Nine.

"I don't see any reason whatsoever why they made them hit the penalty goal. The game's over.

"If the conversion hits the post and he runs the length of the field and scores, what happens again? It's over. The game was over. There was absolutely no reason for the penalty goal."

However, the rules clearly outline the situation.

"If the attempt at drop goal is successful, a kick at goal must be taken from the penalty kick and play restarted from the centre of the halfway line, irrespective of the outcome of that kick", the rules read.

That means even if Volkman had struck the uprights and the ball bounced back into the field of play, it would not have remained live.

The unusual sequence created one of the more bizarre endings seen in recent NRL memory, with the rarely applied rule suddenly thrust into the spotlight with coaches, players and fans waiting to see if the NRL will respond to the situation and amend the rules in a golden point circumstance.