4 hours ago
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The NRL are set to ignore pleas from fans and allow referee Ashley Klein to take charge of State of Origin III.
Klein left New South Wales boss Laurie Daly 'privately furious' after he dished out eight penalties to the Blues in the first half of their State of Origin II defeat on Wednesday.
It came as the Maroons took a 26-6 lead in the match and would weather a late comeback from the Blues to seal a 26-24 victory.
But according to The Daily Telegraph, the Blues have been left looking for answers and plan to meet with the NRL this week to ascertain why those eight penalties were given.
Klein, though, is still set to officiate the match, over refereeing rivals Grant Atkins and Adam Gee.
The outlet adds that referees are ranked by a key performance indicator system. Metrics in that system include play-the-ball speed, decision-making and communication.
The NRL are set to appoint referee Ashley Klein (right) to referee State of Origin III on July 9
Klein left NSW fans furious last week after awarding eight penalties in the first half against the Blues
But the spotlight will be on the referee during game three after his decision-making on Wednesday
Klein is understood to rank above other officials for those performance indicators.
But the spotlight will be on the referee during game three after his performance last Wednesday.
Journalist Phil Rothfield revealed on Thursday that while NSW boss Laurie Daley did not comment on the massive penalty count, the Blues were filthy at some of Klein's officiating.
'Laurie will look at the video and find out what he wants to talk to the NRL about and then take it to adjudication,' Rothfield said on NRL 360.
'He was furious after the game. Privately furious, but he knows he can’t come out and say anything. Not just for the fine, but because it’ll look like poor sportsmanship.'
Furious NSW fans have also commented on the officiating, with some claiming the referee's decisions robbed them of the victory.
'Ashley Klein needs to pull his head in. You cannot tell me he hasn’t been instructed to favour Queensland,' posted one on X.
Another wrote: 'I know the NRL want a decider, but Klein can’t even hide the bias. 8-0 penalty count and all the six-again calls. You may as well skipped game 2 and just gone to game 3.'
