Wow, 24 pages and counting, on one dud decision (and I'm adding to it).
All fans know the frustration of a decision that goes against them. It is even worse when your team just loses, and of course much worse, when it is a knock out final.
But in terms of impact, the bad decision was really no worse than an incorrect penalty on tackle 1 (maybe with a quick tap allowed). In general, a late tackle penalty, or a decision that changes possession (strip penalty rather than knock on or vice versa), or a decision that is incorrect in the tackle that leads to a try (e.g. a blatant forward pass for a try, like we got against Canberra last week), is much harder to defend against.
I felt the Cowboys were very lucky with a lot of decisions that had a bigger impact, except they weren't able to score at the end of them. The Sharks also basically handed two tries to the Cowboys (one with a few lucky bounces as well), so it is hard to say the Cowboys were easily better (though I believe the Sharks were comfortably better and comfortably worse at their best and worst in that game).
Additionally, we can not know what would have happened if the tackles were counted correctly, as pointed out by many posters here. It is more likely a team won't score in a set than they will, but we certainly had momentum that set in the first 5 tackles, and were a long way down field anyway. We may have scored, may have forced repeat sets that broke the Cowboys, or may have thrown an intercept (as we did later) that broke our spirits. If you replay everything else precisely, with Tagatese somehow kicking the ball back (but taking 2 minutes to do so) to recreate a kick off and everyone else running back to position from the kick off that came from that try, then the Cowboys would have won. But both teams would have played very odd football for the given scores (it seems more likely the Sharks would have been throwing it around like they did from 60 to 70 minutes, rather than shutting shop like they did from 70 + minutes and Cowboys would not have thrown it around in the last 10 like they did, if the Cowboys really were in front at the end).
But I do see why Cowboys fans are upset, particularly as allowing a 7 tackle set was so obviously wrong (unlike some of the decisions I was upset with, that were certainly less clear cut). And it doesn't help that they had a tough decision against them a year before (though as a try scoring decision I thought it was a tougher one for the Cowboys than a 7 tackle count).
Believe me, Sharks fans know the pain of missing out on winning the premiership, and if it helps you to death ride us, then feel free (we still do with Manly, decades later), though in the unlikely event our injury depleted team actually does win, you should be glad you "technically" beat the premiers. We could even petition for you to be given the premiership instead ;-)
Actually, the thing that is most missing from all of this, is that it was quite a good game. The Cowboys had a brilliant run at the end of the year, and played their hearts out in this game, went in missing their key hooker, and even when they looked down and out with a few seconds left and the whole field to traverse, they almost snatched a win (missed by a few centimetres).
The Sharks have had a very tough year, were also behind near the end, had some key injuries in the game, and found a way to snatch a lead right near the end, and defend it (just).
Both teams should be very proud of their efforts, and despite what has been said about the "top 4" I think any of the top 4 would have been worried to play a full strength Cowboys or Sharks side showing that much commitment.
