It is hardly a new issue, but the substandard officiating in our game right now is absolutely the biggest issue.
Anyone who is familiar with my weekly "20 Thoughts" column, will know that I don't love dedicating time to recounting referee errors.
In fact I'm very much on record as saying I find blaming referees for losses by coaches and fans to be lazy.
That said, the horror show that has been 2025s officiating just makes it too difficult to ignore. Impossible even!
Now let me preface the below by saying I am not talking about those errors that take four different angles to prove a decision wrong. That is going to happen.
Referees are human, they make mistakes. They also don't have super vision, the ability to see around players, or slow motion replay on hand in their heads.
I am talking about the clangers!
The lack of applying the rules correctly, or worse, ignoring them.
I won't go into details of some of the shockers we've endured in 2025 or we'd literally be here for hours.
Instead we're focusing on the NRL Finals thus far. Yes that's correct, one weekend of dire officiating has promoted this reaction.
More-so the fact that Ashley Klein, coming off one of the all time poor officiating displays has not only be retained this weekend but looks set for another grand final.
The fact that he received a "pass mark" from officials shows just how badly the NRL needs to actually undertake a full review of the department they claimed to have audited in the off-season.
For that rant, click here: How the NRL failed with their supposed “end of season review”
The NRL have, yesterday, admitted to mishandling the biggest incident of the weekend, potentially deciding the game and dare I say the season.
For those who missed it, Hudson Young was hilariously sent to the sin bin and infuriatingly penalised on Sunday afternoon for taking a verbal jab at Reece Walsh.
The supposed spray, which I have no doubt was delivered with plenty behind it, lead to Reece Walsh headbutting the Canberra star.
I can hear plenty of you rushing to the comments to mention Chris Butler here, and I agree, but the fact remains Klein had the final say. Referees always do.
Reece Walsh headbutted a player and the Broncos received the penalty.
Ashley Klein had the final say. He went with Chris Butler, who again I could produce five of these over his horror run of decisions, and penalised a guy for getting headbutted.
How the referee who oversaw that farce can line up this weekend, let alone a grand final, is beyond belief.
Butler himself has been appointed to the bunker for both games this weekend.
Not to mention the fact Walsh should have been sent off. Don't give me this "love tap" nonsense. He headbutted him.
The decision to sin bin both players despite the huge difference in offence may have decided the game.
No tears for Canberra who threw away a massive lead mind you.
Klein is far from the only referee to have made an error this weekend.
Grant Atkins missed a three metre forward pass from three metres away. This capped off a laughable night at the office.
Adam Gee awarded a penalty for a genuine, actual love tap.
Todd Smith was massively overwhelmed in his first final and was quick to blow a "shoulder charge" penalty despite the fact Addin Fonua-Blake make contact with his chest.
That said, I simply do not understand why the NRL seems to dig its heels in by insisting that Ashley Klein is the best referee in the game. He's not.
Adam Gee is.
I know I referenced his earlier error. I don't think any of the referees covered themselves in glory this past weekend, but Gee was undoubtedly the best referee of the weekend.
I've checked my weekly columns and his name barely appears. Certainly not as consistently as Klein, Badger, Kennedy, Atkins and Sutton.
Yet we all must get in line in our praise of Ashley Klein.
Whether it be ego, laziness or incompetence, Jared Maxwell and Graham Annesley have a lot to answer for.
If they genuinely believe that Klein is the best in the game, they're watching a different set of games to the rest of us.
Don't get me wrong, I understand I'm just some hot head fan with a keyboard and a platform, but my mentions are literally 99 per cent negative toward Klein. About 60 per cent positive toward Gee.
You don't want to read what they're saying about Atkins.
There's a genuine officiating crisis. That crisis is the NRL aren't allowing the best referees to referee.
I don't buy into these conspiracies that certain referees favour certain teams. I just think Klein's recent performances have been terrible and there has to be a better option.
I don't want to make this an attack on Klein but it's time for the NRL to go with the form official.
There will be plenty of negativity in response to this bagging Adam Gee but do a game by game breakdown. He is miles ahead of the rest right now.
Klein cannot referee the grand final.
The NRL cannot let the errors of weeks and months gone by dominate another big occassion.
