How Klein shook off nightmare to stand tall in major Origin pressure test

The most scrutinised man to run onto the Melbourne Cricket Ground for Wednesday night’s State of Origin game was not wearing blue or maroon.

He was wearing white and carrying a whistle.

Ashley Klein made headlines for all the wrong reasons leading into the MCG clash but the veteran referee stood tall on the game’s biggest stage in front of 91,000 screaming fans.

Klein had endured a nightmare few days after The Sydney Morning Herald revealed a historical gambling addiction that reportedly cost him upwards of $400,000.

The NRL knew about the referee’s problem, and questions have been asked as to how he was permitted to referee professional sport while battling the addiction, which he self-reported to BetStop, the national self-exclusion register, in 2023.

After an investigation, the league cleared Klein to continue officiating. There is no suggestion that he placed bets on any rugby league games.

Prominent Herald and The Age columnist Roy Masters was among those calling for Klein to be axed from Wednesday’s Origin game, but the league stood firm and allowed him to officiate it.

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NSW coach Laurie Daley and Maroons coach Billy Slater threw their support behind Klein in wake of the backlash to his gambling issues, with both declaring they felt that the referee’s personal battles should not have been made public.

The gambling revelations were not the only controversy putting Klein under the microscope.

Queenslanders wanted him axed after game one when he sent Maroons fullback Kalyn Ponga off for a high tackle, turning the contest and allowing the Blues to win 22-20 with three tries against a 12-man opposition.

Brisbane’s leading newspaper The Courier-Mail even launched a petition calling for Klein to be removed from Origin duties.

And so when Wednesday night’s game rolled around, it was no surprise to hear the massive MCG crowd roundly boo when Klein was first shown on the stadium big screen.

But after the contest no one with any credibility could be heard questioning his performance.

The biggest decision made throughout the night was to sin bin Blues centre Kotoni Staggs for a high shot on - ironically - Ponga in the second half.

Some would argue it was similar to Ponga’s shot on Tolu Koula in game one, which prompted Klein to overrule his Bunker official and send Ponga off for the rest of the night, rather than just for 10 minutes.

But the Staggs sin bin was the correct call and no one in the commentary box questioned the decision on Wednesday.

All told, Klein blew seven penalties (five against the Blues, two against the Maroons) for the night, and didn’t overdo it with the set restarts.

Even in game one, aside from the Ponga send off, Klein stayed largely invisible, which is the trademark of a good referee performance.

Critics will still debate whether the NRL should allow him on the field due to his previous gambling issues but purely on his performance on Wednesday night, Klein will be handed the whistle again for the decider at Suncorp Stadium on July 8.