The NRL has backed State of Origin referee Ashley Klein, saying his decision to send off Queensland fullback Kalyn Ponga was the correct call.
Klein sent Ponga packing during the second half of the opening match in Sydney, deeming his tackle on NSW winger Tolu Koula was a shoulder charge with direct contact to the head.
The controversy around the decision was further inflamed post-match when the match review committee charge sheet only cited Ponga with a grade-two shoulder charge, allowing him to escape with a fine.
A grade-three shoulder charge would have wiped him out of Origin II with a three-week ban.
But the NRL supported the match-altering call by Klein, which allowed the Blues to turn a 20-6 deficit into a 22-20 victory.
