Ashley Klein "lost control" as Reese Walsh goes berserk in finals thriller

Kenty and Woz dive into a chaotic weekend of NRL football that saw officiating controversies and individual brilliance collide. The team dissects Ashley Klein’s handling of the Raiders versus Broncos clash, the frightening return of Reese Walsh, and the ongoing selection headaches facing the Bulldogs as they head into elimination football.

Ashley Klein "lost control" of the game

The discussion centred on the officiating during the Broncos' dramatic win over Canberra, specifically the handling of a confrontation involving Reese Walsh and Hudson Young. Kenty was scathing in his assessment of referee Ashley Klein's decision to sin bin both players. "I thought Ashley Klein had a really poor game. The headbutt was a send-off offence. Klein instead elects to sin bin him. But he also elects to send Hudson Young for provoking him. I've not seen a player in the game sin binned for a sledge ever."

Kenty argued that the decision to penalise both players equally showed the official was overwhelmed by the occasion. "That to me just showed that the situation overwhelmed Klein. He lost control. And then the penalty goes against Canberra. That was madness."

The "diamonds and rocks" of Reese Walsh

Despite the controversy, Kenty was in awe of Reese Walsh's second half performance after returning from the sin bin, labelling it one of the most dominant individual efforts in recent memory. "His performance yesterday was as good as I've ever seen from any player. He won Brisbane the game, simple as that. Reese Walsh took off and starts doing what he's doing, the 40/20, the try, the try assist. He just went berserk."

Kenty noted that the young fullback is quickly maturing into a more consistent superstar for the Broncos. "For a long, long time we've sat and debated about this kid who's got this diamonds and rocks. Well, there's a lot more diamonds than rocks being produced now."

The Bulldogs' "utility" charade

Turning to the Bulldogs' loss to Melbourne, Kenty took aim at the explanation for benching Toby Sexton. He believes the tactical move backfired and expects a major reshuffle for their must-win game this weekend. "The interesting thing there, Phil Gould said before the game Sexton was put on the bench because of his utility value. Greatest crock of shit you've ever heard. If that's what you were looking for, then you would have started Reed Mahoney and put Bailey Hayward on the bench."

Kenty predicts the Bulldogs will return to a more natural structure to save their season. "There's going to be a big move I think to put him back at number seven this week, and Burton goes to centres to cover Crichton, and then Galvin goes to six, which is his natural position. It just makes far more sense."

Remembering a rugby league giant: Wayne Beavis

The episode concluded with a tribute to legendary player manager Wayne Beavis, who passed away recently. Kenty reflected on Beavis’s reputation for absolute integrity in a cut-throat industry. "He was entirely honest with his players, never took a dollar off him that he wasn't owed. And because he was so honest, his reputation spread like wildfire around the game. We don't have enough good men in rugby league and we just lost another one."

Watch the full episode on Fanatics TV.