Referee Adam Gee will take charge of his first NRL grand final after Ashley Klein's late-season bungles cost him the chance to officiate in this year's decider.
Klein was viewed by many as the game's No.1 referee after taking charge of the 2022 grand final and the two most-recent State of Origin series.
But two high-profile blunders - missing a high shot and a blatant knock-on - in Melbourne's semi-final win over the Sydney Roosters led to him getting the chop and being replaced by Gee.
"Adam thoroughly deserves his appointment to the grand final," NRL head of football Graham Annesley said.
"He has been a standout match official this season and been incredibly consistent in 2023.
"Adam has refereed 236 matches, and his calm demeanour and strong work ethic are testament to that experience."
Klein will head up the bunker, while Chris Sutton and David Munro will run touch.
Gerard Sutton was considered a chance to take the whistle in Sunday's season-finale between Penrith and Brisbane, but his failure to penalise a Broncos forward pass in the preliminary final against the Warriors moved Gee to the front of the queue.
The touch judges from the Broncos-Warriors game, Phil Henderson and Drew Oultram, also miss out despite running the line in last year's grand final.
Belinda Sharpe will oversee the NRLW grand final between Gold Coast and Newcastle, which takes place earlier on Sunday at Accor Stadium in Sydney.
