The Mole: Push for Ashley Klein to be axed for Origin decider as referee rinsed for lopsided penalty count

New South Wales officials are certain to push for a change of referee for the Origin decider after the controversial Ashley Klein blew them off a sodden Perth pitch on Wednesday night.

Yes, Queensland were great and yes, the Blues had moments of ill discipline.

But no team at Origin level can overcome a 10-2 penalty count and expect to win.

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Klein had the count at 8-0 at half time and the match was effectively over at 26-6.

Blues fans who made the long trek to Perth were left fuming, as were legends of the game.

Even Maroons great Corey Parker could not believe what he was seeing.

"I just don't, I can't get around that at all," Parker said on SENQ Breakfast.

"(It was) 8-0 at half-time, and I'm a Queenslander, and you could say every one of those eight were warranted.

"I just don't think you need 12 penalties and 10 of those going in the way of one team.

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"I think it's a concern for the game personally."

Blues legend Greg Alexander agreed, although conceded the Blues penalties were fair.

"Many of those penalties were warranted, that were given against NSW," Alexander said on SEN 1170 Breakfast.

"The Jarome Luai one was silly. The Zac Lomax elbow, even though I said set restart should have been called before he gave the elbow.

"There were moments where NSW let themselves down, and what they did off the back of that was then make errors.

"So, when they were penalised, then they'd make an error, or they'd give a set restart away, and that really hurt them.

"But my point of the penalty count is that Queensland in the first half was zero."

Blues coach Laurie Daley diplomatically declared: "I can't tell you what I honestly think, so I'm not gonna say anything".

Many players and coaches - and most of all the fans - are left baffled on a weekly basis at how Klein seems an automatic selection for all the big games regardless of form.

He was criticised after a dour game one for blowing his whistle too much - but the penalty count was relatively even compared to the Perth landslide.

Queensland will be desperate to keep Klein for the decider after Wednesday night, leaving NRL officials with a dilemma leading into the match in Sydney in three weeks.