New South Wales players have thrown their support behind State of Origin referee Ashley Klein after revelations the veteran official previously battled a gambling addiction that reportedly cost him more than $400,000.
Klein is set to take charge of Wednesday night’s State of Origin clash at the MCG despite intense scrutiny following reports that he lost hundreds of thousands of dollars betting on horse and greyhound racing.
The NRL has confirmed it first became aware of Klein’s gambling problem in 2019 and investigated the matter, finding no breaches of league rules or policies.
Klein has insisted he never gambled on rugby league and said his officiating career was never affected by the addiction.
As debate swirled around the game’s most experienced referee, NSW players rallied behind him, describing the matter as a personal issue and praising his long record at the highest level.
Blues forward Mitch Barnett declined to discuss the details of Klein’s situation but expressed concern for his wellbeing.
Veteran referee Ashley Klein will officiate State of Origin II despite revelations over his gambling history
Blues forward Mitch Barnett, pictured centre, said he hoped that Klein was doing better after his gambling issues
New South Wales hooker Reece Robson also supported Klein, saying he was a great referee
‘That’s not a topic for me to discuss at all,’ Barnett said.
‘As someone who cares about people, I hope he’s doing OK and had all the help he can get, but that has nothing to do with me, and I won’t comment any further on that.’
NSW hooker Reece Robson went further, backing Klein’s credentials as one of the game’s leading officials.
‘He’s a great referee,’ Robson said.
‘He’s done it for a long time, and he’s always delivered on the big stage as being a great referee. That’s why he keeps getting those jobs.
‘In terms of the other stuff, that’s a personal issue for him to work through and I’m sure he’s got the help and the friends and the family around him to help him through that sort of stuff.’
The comments came a day after Klein publicly addressed the issue, revealing he had sought help and shut down his betting accounts.
‘Many years ago I developed a problem with gambling on horse racing and greyhound racing,’ Klein said.
‘This gambling was not related to any betting on Rugby League, and my job as a referee has never been impacted.
‘I received help to deal with the problem and closed all associated betting accounts. This was a difficult period of my life but one which did not in any way influence my job as a match official.’
The NRL backed Klein following the revelations and confirmed his position as a match official had never been affected.
‘The NRL first became aware of this matter in 2019, at which time it was investigated to the satisfaction of NRL management at the time,’ a league statement said.
‘The NRL subsequently took appropriate steps to ensure there were no breaches of NRL rules and policies.
‘At no stage has Ashley Klein’s position as an NRL match official been impacted.’
Klein will referee his 14th consecutive State of Origin match when New South Wales and Queensland meet in Melbourne on Wednesday night.
