Grant Atkins could be just 80 minutes away from ousting Ashley Klein as next Sunday’s NRL Grand Final referee.
Klein has been in charge of the last three deciders, but came under fire for blowing no fewer than 18 penalties during Friday night’s preliminary final between Melbourne and Cronulla.
Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon said the Storm deserved the win and were the better side, but the stop-start nature of the game would have made it difficult viewing for the fans – and hoped there would be no repeat next week.
One of the few times Klein should have blown the whistle was the 64th minute when Harry Grant appeared to execute a hip-drop tackle on Sharks flyer Ronnie Mulitalo.
Mulitalo hobbled around for a few minutes but was able to finish the game. In Grant’s defence, even if the match review committee did charge him on Saturday morning, he is likely to escape with a fine, especially because Mulitalo was not seriously injured.
Klein was labelled a “bottleless git” by James Graham last week when he refused to sanction Penrith’s Dylan Edwards for holding back Viliame Kikau as he chased his own charge-down, but oversaw the golden-point epic the week before in Canberra, a performance he was praised for, along with bunker official Chris Butler.
Cameron Munster of the Storm talks to referee Ashley Klein during the NRL Preliminary Final match between the Melbourne Storm and Cronulla Sharks.Credit: Getty Images
Atkins will referee the Broncos and Panthers blockbuster at Suncorp Stadium, and should he hold his nerve with little drama, will put himself in the box seat to rule his first decider. He was shown faith by controlling last weekend’s semi-final between the Raiders and Sharks.
Speaking after Friday’s loss, Fitzgibbon said: “Honestly, if that’s a prelim, and you want a grand final to have 18 penalties; I’m not sooking about the ref, Melbourne were the better side, hands down.