State of Origin referee Ashley Klein is set to be axed from the NRL's Round 20 appointments when they are released on Tuesday afternoon.
Multiple reports suggest the NRL have decided to axe Klein, who was in the bunker on Sunday afternoon when the Tigers were controversially denied a win by a last-second decision over an off the ball escort.
It was Klein who made the call on the escort, finding that Kyle Feldt had been obstructed by Tigers' outside back Asu Kepaoa, who appeared to only have eyes for the ball at the time as he made his run.
The NRL's head of football Graham Annesley yesterday confirmed the competition believed that, while the controversial captain's challenge was allowed, the decision on the back of it was wrong.
The call, which allowed Valentine Holmes to step up and slot a penalty goal, cost a furious Tigers the victory, with the club still refusing to rule out legal action over the fact the final call may have been made after fulltime.
Annesley refused to be drawn for comment over Klein's likely status as a referee this coming weekend, but multiple reports now suggest he will be axed.
It's a dramatic fall for the senior referee, who was appointed to the State of Origin series just a handful of weeks ago and controlled all three games as Billy Slater's Queensland Maroons poached victory over the New South Wales Blues.
It was the first time Gerard Sutton hadn't controlled Origin in a number of years, but given he was on standby in Game 1 and 2, his chance of receiving the grand final at the end of the season appears to have received an enormous boost thanks to Klein's blunder in the bunker last weekend.
Appointments for referees to Round 20 fixtures will be confirmed on Tuesday afternoon, and Zero Tackle will have each and every referee and official appointed when it breaks.