Ashley Klein is arguably one of the best NRL referees in the league, but his recent gaffs in the semi-final have left some questioning his ability. He made a series of different mistakes during the game between the Sydney Roosters and the Melbourne Storm.
The referee missed a blatant knock-on which then turned into the Storm scoring, while he also did not penalize a high tackle from Roosters halfback Sam Walker. If given, the Storm could have kicked a potentially game-winning penalty goal. However, the Storm were the losers of the game, as they were beaten 18-13.
As a result, there had been fierce criticism of the league’s top official, and this has the NRL have to act. They have since decided to drop him for the preliminary finals, and he will not officiate either of the games that are set to be played.
The news is something that those who are looking for betting opportunities and may use the bet365 bonus code NZ that is available may want to consider, as referees can sometimes have an impact on the way a game is played.
Klein may still referee the Grand Final
Despite the high-profile errors and how they had a direct influence on the result in the semifinal, the NRL chief has revealed that the league still has a lot of faith in Klein and that there is every chance that he could still referee the Grand Final.
Klein was the official of last year’s event and is listed as the bunker referee for the game between the Brisbane Broncos and the New Zealand Warriors this coming week. He clearly still has the league’s backing, with chief Andrew Abdo insisting the blame culture that surrounds officials is more to blame than the referee himself.
Abdo has lashed out at the criticism that was fired Kiein’s way, as he cited that it has become easy to criticise the officials and to turn every decision that is made into a personal one, rather than being seen as professional and down the middle.
Referees are humans at the end of the day and prone to making errors, but there is no denying that mistakes as big as the one he made in the semifinal are unforgivable, especially if you are a fan of the Melbourne Storm.
The team were effectively penalized by both mistakes in terms of points, as the obvious knock-on led to the Roosters scoring, while the high tackle could have been penalized into a potential game-winning penalty.
What would happen if Klein does referee the NRL Grand Final?
Some might be asking whether it would be a good idea for Klein to even be in consideration to ref the Grand Final after his errors and subsequent dropping for the prelims. There would naturally be a huge spotlight on his role in the middle of the field throughout the game if he were to officiate, with every decision coming under even more scrutiny.
It might be best for the league to leave him out and start next season afresh, just to spare themselves any other potential headache.
