How Klein overcame career threatening injury to referee 400 NRL games
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NRL CEO Andrew Abdo and referees boss Jared Maxwell have praised the resilience of Ashley Klein after fighting his way back from a career threatening injury to referee his 400th NRL match.
Klein will become the second ever official to referee 400 NRL games when he achieves the milestone in Friday ‘s night’s Elimination Final between the Sharks and Cowboys at Allianz Stadium.
During a decorated career which began in England in 2002, Klein has refereed:
- NRL grand finals in 2018 and 2022;
- 17 State of Origins;
- World Cup finals in 2008 and 2022;
- 27 Tests;
- Super League grand finals in 2005, 2007 and 2008, and;
- the 2007 Challenge Cup final at Wembley.
Yet what isn't widely known outside refereeing circles is that Klein had to overcome an Achilles injury in 2020 to fight his way back to the top.
"He was nearly done, physically, three or four years ago and we put a significant physical program around him to get him back," said Maxwell, NRL GM - Elite Officiating.
“Not too many would have survived that. He was really on one leg, but he has come back bigger and better than ever physically, and he is still performing at the top level, which is incredible when you look back at that.
At the stage of his career when that happened, many would have been comfortable with what they had achieved.
“But he wasn’t, he wanted to prove that he had some years left and he had to get up physically.
“He is one of the fittest and strongest in the group, and that is a great testament to his drive to get through that and achieve what he has since."
NRL CEO Andrew Abdo congratulated Klein for his durability and consistency over a long period of time.
“For 16 seasons Ashley Klein has refereed at the highest level, including two Grand Finals, 17 State of Origins and now he has made it to the milestone of 400 NRL matches,’’ he said.
“He becomes only the second referee in the history of the game to achieve the 400-match milestone, which in Ashley’s case has come through an enormous amount of dedication and effort.
To referee at this level for a remarkable number of seasons requires excellence in both physical and mental fitness and resilience.
"His performance and metrics this season have been exceptional."
Klein has also had to overcome a number of other setbacks during his career after refereeing State of Origin in 2013 and having to wait again until 2018 to control another Origin.
After refereeing 151 Super League matches, Klein returned to Australia with his family in 2009 and had to prove himself in the lower grades before being appointed to control and NRL match.
He was in charge of the 2008 World Cup final, won by New Zealand, but was overlooked for the 2013 and 2017 deciders before being awarded control of the 2022 clash between Australia and Samoa at Old Trafford.
“People just see the referee on the field, but I have seen how he has got back from these challenges," Maxwell said.
I saw the drive and determination in his face when I dropped him in the finals series last year.
"Whilst he accepted where he was at last year it wasn’t good enough for him. I saw how that motivation still exists, and he is putting his best foot forward again.
"It is just the character of the person he is. He is just one of the hardest working referees and he has got of the best game sense and game understanding of any referees I have seen.
"That stands him in good stead from a respect point of view with the players and he is still able to achieve these results, which is incredible."
Klein will be formally recognised at the Col Pearce Medal after the season.
“The referees play an important role in the game and have an incredibly challenging task in providing an environment that lets the players and teams provide a thrilling contest," Abdo said.
"We thank Ashley for his service to the game, knowing that he inspires juniors from the around the country to become referees.”
