DCE in line with Klein as skipper rubbishes subterfuge

Sydney Morning Herald26-05-2025

Queensland captain Daly Cherry-Evans has slammed suggestions there was anything untoward about his recent friendly chat with State of Origin referee Ashley Klein.
The Maroons skipper has also poured cold water on claims that the playing group has an issue with Brisbane outside back Selwyn Cobbo, who was overlooked for selection for the Origin series opener at Suncorp Stadium.
A story in this masthead on Sunday contained an image of the Manly captain in conversation in the stands a fortnight ago at Brookvale Oval with Klein, who will take charge of the clash on Wednesday night.
NSW legend Ben Elias threw fuel on the fire by stating 'it is that time of year again when Queensland start buttering up the referees', implying the Maroons were trying to get some kind of competitive advantage.
'I'm not going to be able to remember the conversation exactly because I don't remember it being nothing more than just a conversation,' Cherry-Evans said when asked about the chat.
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'We have referees come out to our training sessions weekly at Manly. They are humans. They are people. They have families and more often than not we're just talking about our kids and how much they are misbehaving.
'Read into it what you will, but there's nothing really there for me. We are all human and like to talk about our problems. It's just as simple as that really.'
The Maroons captain was asked if he had a good relationship with Klein.