There have been calls for Ashley Klein to never referee a State of Origin match again after his controversial call in the dramatic series opener on Wednesday night.
The veteran whistle blower has come under fire after he consulted with the Bunker video review official before sending Kalyn Ponga off, leaving Queensland a man short for the final 23 minutes of the match a Accor Stadium.
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Audio of the moment shows Klein appeared to debate the severity of Ponga’s high shoulder charge on Blues winger Tolu Koula’s head.
You can watch the dramatic exchange in the video above
Broadcast footage shows Klein was 20m away, scrambling down the field as Blues playmaker Ethan Strange orchestrated a line break for Koula to dart down the sideline.
Despite having a satellite view of the incident from the middle of the field, Klein stuck with his decision to give Ponga his marching orders.
“It’s a shoulder charge to the head. That’s a send off,” Klein told the video official as tensions began to simmer following a melee.
“For me it’s a shoulder charge with direct contact to the head. A shoulder charge direct to the head. I’m thinking that’s a send off.”
He was heard saying: “I get that, but he’s hit him direct to the head.
“I get that mate, but he’s hit him in the head there with no attempt to tackle. I know what you’re saying, but it’s an illegal play.”
Moments later Ponga and Maroons captain Cameron Munster were called out by Klein.
The Newcastle fullback attempted a desperate plea to show blood coming from the side of his head, suggesting his shoulder did not make direct contact to the Manly star’s head.
Klein responded by saying: “It’s a shoulder charge that makes direct contact to the head. You’ve got a duty of care. You’re off”.
Rugby league legends Andrew Johns and Cameron Smith said on Nine they believed Ponga should have been sent to the sin bin.
Fox League commentators were even more bewildered by the send off ruling.
Panthers great Greg Alexander called it a clear head clash.
“It’s a very awkward position that Ponga finds himself in because he’s got Sam Walker in the tackle as well so it’s very hard to make a regulation tackle,” Alexander said on Fox League on Kayo Sports.
“So he just gets his body in the road and then they collide heads. It wasn’t shoulder contact.”
Alexander went on to say: “He was talking to the Bunker, wasn’t he, because I think the Bunker said he hasn’t made contact with his shoulder and he’s disagreed with him.”
Veteran commentator Andrew Voss suggested Klein’s decision not to use the camera evidence was not living in the “video age”.
“I have not seen shoulder contact direct to Koula’s head. Klein may believe that. He’s sent him off. I can’t believe it. I cannot believe this,” he said.
“Multiple replays. The referee is adamant with what he saw with the naked eye. That’s fine. But we’re in the video age and we have a chance to review. And he has been sent off for a shoulder charge to the head.
“To be fair. He can go to the sin bin for that, but not a send off. It wasn’t a classic missile into head. But it’s quite clear he ruled shoulder charge to the head.”
Queensland great and dual international code-hopper Lote Tuqiri was one of many calling for Klein to be axed.
“Klein can’t get game 2!!!! Yellow yes, but a red!!?? It was shoulder on shoulder contact, which led to head on head,” the Wallabies great posted on X.
Queensland great Corey Parker also vented his frustration at Klein’s decision to overrule the Bunker.
“Hang on a second,” he said on SEN Queensland, highlighting Klein’s record of being responsible for four of the seven send-off calls in the history of State of Origin, dating back to 1980.
“If we’ve got this $22 million facility where it’s got cameras after cameras, and you know what they’re saying, how about you take a little bit of a leaf out of their book.
“It was a pivotal moment in the game and it ended up being the difference.”
The send-off completely shifted the momentum of the game in NSW’s favour and despite the Blues blowing several tries, James Tedesco was the hero — juggling a high ball over the line to score the matchwinning try with just seconds remaining.
Ponga’s send-off is one of the most divisive incidents in recent memory and the star fullback appeared heartbroken as he faced reporters inside the Queensland dressing room.
The Knights star said he was “not proud” after becoming the seventh player sent off in Origin history.
In an extraordinary twist, the NRL Match Review committee ended the night with another bombshell in handing down its charge sheet following the game.
It was almost midnight when the NRL confirmed the judiciary’s ruling in an official statement.
A change to the NRL judiciary code back in 2022 means Ponga is free to play this weekend after the Queensland fullback escaped with a fine for the grade two shoulder charge.
A grade two charge would ordinarily have seen Ponga banned for two games in the NRL, but a change to the judicial code in rep games means the superstar fullback only has to pay 23 per cent of his match fee with an early guilty plea.
Speaking to media after the game, Ponga said he was “not proud” of the moment.
“I’m not proud of it, obviously,” Ponga said.
“The boys had to work a lot harder because of me being off the field, so that’s something that I’m not proud of, but s*** happens.”
Ponga added that he did not realise at first that he had been sent off, instead thinking he was only set for a stint in the sin bin.
“I thought it was 10 minutes,” he said.
“I didn’t even realise it was a send-off when I left. In the moment, it’s hard to know exactly what’s happened.”
A classy Ponga said he hoped Koula was “okay” and was “extremely proud” of the way his teammates rallied in the face of adversity.
“At the end of the day, it was my action that forced the boys to work extra hard. S*** happens,” he added.
NSW had lost the past four series openers in Sydney, but the Blues now take a 1-0 lead into Game 2 in Melbourne.
