NRL reportedly set to drop referee Ashley Klein after Warriors blunder

The NRL is reportedly set to drop referee Ashley Klein following his performance in the Newcastle-Warriors semi-final game on Sunday night.Klein was heavily criticised by the Warriors and some commentators for his performance during the game at Eden Park which the Knights won 12-10.On Monday the NRL admitted the Warriors should have been awarded a penalty for an escort infringement by the Knights' Tyson Frizell with a minute left in the game.Had the penalty been awarded then the Warriors were in place to attempt a penalty goal.However, the infringement wasn't called and the bunker wasn't used.The NRL review did back the bunker's call that Warriors centre Ali Leiataua got a thumb to a ball before it went to ground late in the match and that the on-field call of a strip against Warrior Te Maire Martin was correct.After the game, Warriors coach Andrew Webster was at a loss to explain why they weren't awarded a penalty when Klein instead ruled that Tyson Frizell was not an escort when Leka Halasima was taken out in a kick contest."On the last one [Halasima's collision], when two points would have drawn the game, he's going across Leka pretending to try and catch the ball, which they told us you can't do," Webster said.That call appears to have set Klein's fate for this weekend's preliminary finals games with reports that he will be dropped."Look at Tyson pretend to catch it, he's a billion to one to catch that ball... some of the great acting," league legend Andrew Johns said on the Nine channel.Nine News is reporting that Klein won't be selected for a game this weekend.