WHEN it comes to betting on racing and sport there can be no clouded areas.
That is why Ashley Klein should not be the referee of tonight’s State of Origin decider in Melbourne.
LGHR is not suggesting that Klein has ever done anything wrong but the revelation that he once had a serious gambling problem will continue to haunt the decisions he makes.
Whatever the rulings in tonight’s crucial clash, Klein – arguably the best referee in the game – will be damned if he does and damned if he doesn’t.
There will always be those Queensland fans who claim he cost the Maroons victory in the opener in Sydney when he elected to send Kalyn Ponga off rather than sin bin him for 10 minutes.
It was arguably a controversial decision that meant the difference in hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars, for those punting on the result.
Integrity is already on the nose in Sydney with many punters reluctant to bet. Let’s not go down that track except to say that there was a race last Saturday at Rosehill where many are questioning the photo finish decision and it involved a major stable.
Then you have the situation on Redcliffe Cup night at the ‘red hots’ in Queensland this coming Saturday where horses from the stable of the biggest owner in the State have drawn the coveted pole position in five races. It’s obviously a coincidence but who believes in coincidences?
