Ashley Klein made the right call in sending off Joseph Suaalii

The seventh minute of the first match of a State of Origin series is a helluva time for rugby league to have an existential crisis.

Yet here it was, the alleged greatest game of all, with one foot firmly in the past and another delicately tip-toeing into the future at Accor Stadium on Wednesday night.

Rookie NSW centre Joseph Suaalii had come out of the defensive line and thrown his 196cm, 98-kilogram frame at Queensland fullback Reece Walsh.

Suaalii was airborne, Walsh’s right foot slipped underneath him and Suaalii’s massive shoulder collected the pretty face of the Maroons whizkid.

In the level three corporate area of the stadium, you could actually hear the thud above the din of the near capacity crowd.

Play was stopped, but Walsh’s eyes were still spinning as referee Ashley Klein could be heard on Sports Ears already consigning Suaalii to his fate of an early shower and a lengthy suspension.

“I’m going to send him,” the referee said.

And he did, making Suaalii the first player to be sent off on debut as well as the fastest in Origin history.

Debate instantly raged throughout the stadium, in the bars and even one heated exchange in the brasco, about whether Klein had destroyed the match, perhaps even Origin itself.

This will be an unpopular opinion throughout NSW on Thursday morning but … I thought it was the right call.

Since 1980, Origin has been officiated differently to regular club matches.

Joseph Suaalii is given his marching orders by referee Ashley Klein.Credit: Getty Images

The whistle gets put away, there’s more niggle in the tackle, less diligence around markers and play-the-balls, and the players are allowed to dip their lids to the time-honoured tradition of whacking every head that comes into their field of vision.

So, yes, Origin is different – to a point.

The rules of the game are clear: if you hit someone in the head with your shoulder, you can expect to be sent off. Doesn’t matter if there was no malice, doesn’t matter if the ball-carrier was slightly slipping, doesn’t matter if it’s the seventh minute of the opening match of the series.

They are the rules of the game. They may have been interpreted differently in another era, even just a few seasons ago, but if head office is serious about minimising concussions, if it wants to send the right message to the uneducated masses who only tune into rugby league for three matches a year, what choice did Klein have?

Reece Walsh hits the deck after a hit from Joseph Suaalii.

Late last year, every NRL club was warned about the risk of shooting out of the line and putting thunderous shots on players like Walsh, who likes to sweep behind the play before either changing direction and motoring downfield or passing to an outside man.

Players, coaches and fans want consistency and that’s fair enough.

If you can tell the difference between a sin-bin and send-off from week to week in the NRL, can you please explain it to me and the Bunker?

But know this: if Suaalii made that tackle for the Roosters, we wouldn’t be having this discussion – even if NSW coach Michael Maguire wanted to after the match.

In the post-match media conference, he raised the incident involving Penrith centre Taylan May in round three when May came running in from the side and clashed heads with Walsh, fracturing his eye socket.

“Earlier on in the year I think [Walsh] ended up with a broken jaw and there was no send-off so it’s a big call at this level,” Maguire said. “He was falling ... I’d have to have another look at it, but I think it was a massive call for a game like this.”

Asked if match officials should show leniency in a match as hotly contested as Origin, he said: “I don’t know if you call it leniency, but I spoke about it before where earlier in the year nothing happened when he broke his jaw. I guess this one was line ball because he was actually falling and the height of that just at last moment had Joey clip him a bit.”

May was penalised and put on report but wasn’t charged, something NRL football boss Graham Annesley later said was a mistake from the MRC.

There’s no comparison between May’s head clash and Suaalii’s clumsy attempt with his shoulder on Walsh.

Late on Wednesday night, Suaalii was slapped with a grade-two reckless charge, which amounts to a four-match suspension if he takes the early plea.

So is Origin dead? Has the game gone soft? Why didn’t Klein just sin-bin him? Just how many pies should you consume in one half of football?

Those questions swirled around the stadium as Queensland romped to a 38-10 victory, despite the Blues gallantly fighting to the end despite being a man down.

Maguire has bigger concerns than Origin losing its violent soul.

Unless Suaalii contests the grading of the charge, he won’t play game two at the MCG on June 26.

Halfback Nicho Hynes had a game to forget, save his clever kick for rookie winger Zac Lomax.

NSW were on the backfoot from the start when one of the Cronulla playmaker’s short kicks dribbled over the dead-ball line and, from the next set, Queensland scored.

The Blues need someone who can kick the ball, much like Maroons veteran Daly Cherry-Evans, who was at his absolute best in this match.

All eyes on Parramatta halfback Mitchell Moses against the Bulldogs at Accor Stadium on Monday.

Whether Klein referees game two remains to be seen. Many thought Adam Gee, who officiated last year’s grand final with aplomb, should have been appointed.

If he doesn’t, the Suaalii send-off shouldn’t cost him. Because it was the right call.

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