Klein of duty: Why Ash deserves Grand Final gig despite a few dramas along the way

Ash Klein thoroughly deserves his place as the NRL’s top referee.

A lot of people out there neither like nor respect many of the NRL officials and when head of football Graham Annesley announced on Tuesday that Klein would control the Grand Final between Penrith and Parramatta, the whistleblower was a target for derision.

Conversely, I have a very positive view of the man.

During my decade-long experience of following, examining and analysing the officials that control the games, I have found Ash not just to be a very competent referee but also – albeit far less relevantly – a really good bloke.

To paraphrase William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar badly, I come to praise Klein, not to bury him.

Klein is the most experienced official the NRL has. He has controlled more games than Gerard Sutton and Ben Cummins, who have officiated 390 and 461 games respectively. Klein will be controlling his 571st top-level game.

He started off controlling games in the Super League in 2002 just two days after his 23rd birthday. There were just 707 patrons in attendance at Derwent Park to witness the young lad from Bathurst officiate the clash between second division Workington Town and Featherstone.

(Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

He must have made quite a good fist of the 50-9 thrashing of the home side because the very next year he became a fixture in the top flight, eventually controlling 169 league and cup games.

In 2005 he controlled his first top-tier international, presiding over the Kangaroos’ 44-12 win over the French in Perpignan.

His reputation grew quickly and by 2006 he was named the Rugby League International Federation referee of the year. He presided over the Anzac Test between Australia and New Zealand at Suncorp Stadium, before running four of the Tri-Nations games later that year.

In 2007 he controlled the Challenge Cup final at Wembley and then the Super League decider. All of this by the age of 28.

By 2008 he was not only the leading referee in the Super League, he ran five of the 2008 World Cup matches, including the final between Australia and New Zealand that saw the Kiwis win in a boilover, with Klein famously copping the rough edge of Kangaroos coach Ricky Stuart’s tongue the next morning.

And so it was that in 2009 the now 29-year-old returned to the country of his birth to take up a role with the NRL.

There Klein found himself no longer the top dog. With the referees run by Bill Harrigan, Klein was also in competition with the likes of Tony Archer, Shayne Hayne, Jared Maxwell and Sutton. While he was selected for first grade for the entire season, he only got one final, and there were no State of Origin or International gigs.

In 2010 he was not selected for any finals gigs either. In fact it wasn’t until Bill Harrigan was dumped by the ARL Board in 2012 that Klein began to start getting the feature gigs. In 2013, he officiated five international games and two State of Origins.

However, once Tony Archer took over in 2014 Klein’s brief run in the big games ended. When Bernard Sutton took over running the referees in 2018 Klein featured in all three State of Origin games, the Test between Australia and New Zealand, as well as officiating his first NRL Grand Final.

Like any other official, he has had his share of blunders and far more than his fair share of critics. However, my feeling has always been that he has a great feel for the game, keeps up with the play and get most calls spot on.

He recently weathered a barrage of criticism over his handling of the Rabbitoh-Roosters Elimination Final, with the sin bin being used seven times. However, most of those with level heads knew that – far from losing control of events, Klein had managed that match as well as anyone could have.

Klein also has great courage and integrity. A number of times in his career I have witnessed him make crucial calls correctly at vital times. He has repeatedly had the courage to award match winning penalties even though he would have been sorely aware through personal experience of the likelihood of being scapegoated after the inevitable outcries.

For instance, in Round Three of 2018 he called Wests Tigers forward Robbie Rochow not square at marker (correctly in my view), with the resultant penalty goal giving the Broncos victory. Klein was demoted to pocket ref the following week.

Of all of the referees I’ve dealt with I’ve found him the most affable, relatable and forthcoming, even though he knows I’ve also been critical of him.

In 2021 there was a considerable changing of the guard in the ranks of officials. The Covid-19 crisis saw lots of the officials let go and a return to single referees running games. Old stagers like Gavin Badger, Matt Cecchin and touchy Jeff Younis departed and “Horse” Maxwell took over the running of the elite referees.

While you wouldn’t think it if you only read the rugby league press, this season has been – for the most part – remarkably well officiated. Sure, there has been a forward pass missed here, a penalty not awarded there and a few bad play-the-balls missed on field.

(Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

But in comparison to previous years it has been really good, with most of the issues to do with befuddling bunker decisions and Klein was part of that malaise when he made a blunder in giving the Cowboys a penalty after the siren to rob the Wests Tigers in Townsville.

Maxwell and his team have begun ushering in a new lot of officials to the senior ranks, led by Todd Smith, Liam Kennedy and Peter Gough – all of whom have impressed. The old hands like Grant Atkins, Chris Butler and Ben Cummins are still plying their trade well, with Adam Gee for mine being particularly impressive in his handling of games.

At the same time the reign of Gerry Sutton as the top referee – and he is a superb referee – is clearly waning with his run of 22 straight State of Origins and six straight NRL Grand Finals halting this season.

When I talked to Klein pre-game earlier this season I asked him how he felt about finally being the number one referee. Klein was quick to hose my assertion down in his quiet, self-deprecating manner.

While I’m sure he would have a strong sense of pride, there is little to no swagger, arrogance or superiority to this man, in a profession that has so often been defined by those exact characteristics.

It is possible that the likeable Klein might be seen by Maxwell as the best candidate to provide a bridge between the Tony Archer/Bernard Sutton era and the future direction of NRL officialdom.

However, Klein is no one’s compromise candidate and he is no one’s chump. Klein is running the 2022 Grand Final because he is an excellent referee deserving of the gig.

And he has the record to prove it.