Melbourne Storm stripped of premierships - Page 8

Ralliart · 25-04-2010, 11:37 AM

I can't **** believe this happen by far the worst thing to ever happen to a club, , ive loved Melbourne storm since i started following them But this is by far the worst decision ever ***** nrl boss should be shot for doing such hass decision , i really hope our players stick together, they have said they take a pay cut, , g.i would rather play at Melbourne Rebals than join another nrl Club its going be interested few weeks with melb storm , and i'm outraged by this as any other Melb storm is, Melb have demomated the nrl since they were brought into the competition yes Admin ***** it up for us fans and not telling the NRL.

prydey · 25-04-2010, 11:45 AM

just watching wwos and i have to say, the way its been dealt with by the nrl does leave a bit to be desired. a couple of things they brought up. the breach is 1.7m over 5 years. 1.1m of that is this year (700000) and last year(400000). this leaves on average 200000 per year for the 3 years before that, which is the time when they won the premierships. the belief is, that if they were done for 200000 over at the time, the premiership wouldn't have been taken from them as the breach wasn't 'that' severe. i tend to agree. when you break it down to specific years the penalty seems very harsh.

the other thing is the decision to let them continue the 2010 season as they are. they are obviously still in breach, and could (probably will) take many points off other clubs. they can't accrue points but they can stop other clubs from getting them, which doesn't seem fair, considering the legality of the side.

it seems very kneejerk, and the wrong people will suffer. the players and the fans. neither of these parties has done anything wrong. its not up to the players to run a football club. they just pull the jumper on each week and do their best.

gtxb67 · 25-04-2010, 11:55 AM

their last premiership was last year, so if it was $400,000 last year, then it seems a large amount. the amount though is probably irrelevant. it is how it was done. if a mistake is made because a player gets injured and must still be paid, and the guy that takes his place is on a performance contract, then that is a minor offence. it seems this way and the bulldogs in 2002 were serious breaches, because it was deliberate

you may be correct in it seeming not fair when taking points from other clubs, but that happened with us in 2002. the journalist (for want of a better word), knew about the bulldog breaches very early on but chose to say nothing until it would potentially hurt us more. she blew the whistle with a couple of rounds to go and we lost 37 points. it is a similar situation. the other teams could not claim those 37 points between them, when in reality we should not have been in the competition
i feel that if nothing else, the nrl have shown to be consistent. we were just lucky we had no silverware to take away. having said that, the fans and players all felt their joy on the day and the next few weeks. they still know what happened. it is still an achievement to be proud of, because most if not all of the players and coach knew nothing about it. they just went about business as usual

if the storm get through this, then it may have bigger issues for the nrl. the people that matter know what storm achieved, yet in the nrl record books, there will be a gaping hole - i am not sure it could have been handled differently, but it certainly taints the nrl record books to some degree. there have been three years now that no club has finished on top. and two where there was no premier. and that follows one that did not have a dally m medialist, doesn't it. follow that with the scandels over the last few years and it is the nrl that may have lost credibility

Rodp · 25-04-2010, 12:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by prydey

it seems very kneejerk, and the wrong people will suffer. the players and the fans. neither of these parties has done anything wrong. its not up to the players to run a football club. they just pull the jumper on each week and do their best.

So who do you penalise, the players and fans of one club whos administration cheated the system or the players and fans of all the remaining clubs?

Being unable to accumulate points this season - meh, do whatever it takes to make sure they're ineligible to participate in the finals, seems the easiest way.

Stripping them of their titles? Pointless really. Sure, fine the club the ~$1.7million, but to remove the minor premierships and grand final wins...? Too late to rewrite history for it to achieve anything of significance. Amend the record books, put an asterisk beside Storm's name on each record - * later to have found team breached salary cap.

gtxb67 · 25-04-2010, 12:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by prydey

it seems very kneejerk, and the wrong people will suffer. the players and the fans. neither of these parties has done anything wrong. its not up to the players to run a football club. they just pull the jumper on each week and do their best.

in sport, you win together and lose together. the players and the fans get to have good times through good management decisions
unfortunately they must also take the bad times too

as a western and canterbury bulldogs fan, i have had the best of bad management from both of them
also i have a team that needs a salary cap and one that didn't. unfortunately the one that didn't need one chose not to play by the rules and i lost again

4Vman · 25-04-2010, 12:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gtxb67

in sport, you win together and lose together. the players and the fans get to have good times through good management decisions
unfortunately they must also take the bad times too

as a western and canterbury bulldogs fan, i have had the best of bad management from both of them
also i have a team that needs a salary cap and one that didn't. unfortunately the one that didn't need one chose not to play by the rules and i lost again

Very true.. Sport brings the greatest highs and deepest lows, it can be a rollercoaster of emotion as a supporter of any team or code.
Unfortunately there are good/loyal supporters who'll stick fast, ride out the hard times and celebrate the wins equally and the other side to that are the ugly/fair weather supporters who'll bang their chests at every victory but turn viscous and critical towards their team at the slightest loss of form..., plenty of examples in the pits.

prydey · 25-04-2010, 12:16 PM

i might just add that i'm not a nrl fan (don't follow any team) probably due to me living in s.a. where we don't get coverage, so i'm sort of looking at it from the outside with no real knowledge of how things work.

my latest comments were basically what was said on the wide world of sports this morning and i thought they put up a fairly good arguement as to why the players should be left out of it, and why it didn't seem right for the team to continue playing whilst still in breach.

i don't remember the guys name but he hosts (or is on) the nrl footy show this morning (not showed in sa) and said there was some 'must see' footage to be shown. the way he spoke about the issue, the players didn't even come into it. it was more a criticism of how the club was run rather than who received what and who knew etc

gtxb67 · 25-04-2010, 12:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by prydey

i thought they put up a fairly good arguement as to why the players should be left out of it, and why it didn't seem right for the team to continue playing whilst still in breach

the problem with the players being left out is - would the storm have won their premierships if they were within the cap. no one knows, but certainly even $20,000 may keep a player at a side. five of those players equals $100,000 - not much but enough. if the players were split because of keeping to the rules, then it is possible that they would not have won and therefore stripping the flags is probably a just decision

my own personal theory on canterbury's 2002 has now changed, because it seems the nrl are consistent. i had believed we should have kept our points in 2002 but not had our first 10 wins of 2003 recognised. the losing percentage we could keep, but not the winning, therefore effectively wrecking our season
those thoughts were of course because i was hoping for big things in 2002, plus the fact i thought those games were official and could not be changed, but it is a very similar way to storm this year, so i cannot really disagree

one reason that the players and fans are made to lose is that in reality, what would stop any team for cheating if they got a slap on the wrist and nothing else. seriously do you think brian waldron (if he is the guilty one), is not set up for life now. anyone could get their market value up by cheating. providing they last a few years in their higher paying job and when the crap hits the fan - they are still wealthy and their team keeps all of their ill gotten gains. not really a deterrent at all. this way, hopefully the management will be more accountable to the fans and players

prydey · 25-04-2010, 12:33 PM

i don't think the nrl could ever come up with a decision that would keep everybody happy.

there was a story on the news the other night regarding a player who had a property bought for him by his club (pretty sure it wasn't a storm player). to me there isn't a lot of difference between paying a player extra, or buying them gifts.

hopefully the big name players (at storm) won't have their careers kicked about too much. the small bit of coverage we do get here in s.a. is usually state of origin (best footy you'll ever see in any code) and it would be a shame if some of these guys weren't picked.

fordv8! · 25-04-2010, 06:01 PM

as an eels fan i feel sorry for the storm players, you couldn't tell me all the clubs dont do it they would for sure probably not to that extent though. strip there premierships but playing for no points this year is a bit harsh i think, whoever wins the comp this year wont have to beat the best team!! so it will be a bit hallow. the NRL have to handle this very carefully it could be very bad news for leauge. and i know i dont want the eels to be given 09 premiership but hay with our recent stalling at the big games might be only way to get one!!!!! nah go the eels

DRU842 · 25-04-2010, 06:21 PM

The issue is complex for the NRL and its not entirely of their own making.
Unlike the AFL they have two almost direct competitors for players services (with the AFL also beginning to taking an interest) - Rugby Union (at all levels) & the English Super League.
The NRL Players Union has never agreed to a player draft, which the AFL & NFL (as well as other US pro sports) need to work in tandem, with a cap. Yes the draft is illegal under Australian Employment Law however the AFL Players choose not to challenge the system for the good of their game; the NRL players association has always said they would challenge in court, if implemented. The draft also allows for an additional form of punishment / compensation, that is NOT available to the NRL. A salary cap on clubs does NOT contravene Australian Employment Law, as the clubs are free to pay players whatever maximum they can negotiate.
The NRL is currently the least professional sporting body in the country (my opinion) as they have not been able to overcome these issues with the players & their NRL accredited agents, nor face the reality that the alternative is to rationalise clubs - an unpleasant thought as former players dominate administration.
The lack of true pentaly by the NRL of known salary cap breaches has contributed greatly to this current situation; they have been soft! The fact that this breach came to light via a whistle blower & not an audit is appalling!
For those who say the penalty is too severe, what alternative action could be taken? The squad from 2007 would not be together if the rules had been complied with, the impact on other teams is open to all sorts of what if's - my own team, the Sharks, lost a preliminary final in 2008 to the Storm; their troubles since may have been very different with a final or a premiership (in my dreams!) under their belt. Every NRL club/fan could argue something similar.
To leave the 2010 squad with no penalty is unworkable, the only potential solution I have seen, would be to award points, from the point the cap is bought back in compliance - as it will take many months to unravel the whole sorry story this is also unlikely in 2010.
For those who say the players are not aware of what they are paid, there is rumor that the 'dual' contracts have player signatures on them. However the kicker for me is that even if they are so gullible as to appoint an agent & no nothing of the details of their contract, it doesn't matter, they are still responsible; your agent is you under the law; e.g. your account stuffs your tax return your still responsible under the law - the sickening thing is these 'agents' are accredited by the NRL - so who is the fool?
Do I believe the Storm are on their own in rorting a flawed system; NO but they and anyone else, including my team, deserve the punishments coming their way for breaking the rules & faith with the fans.
Personally I believe that professional sport at its top level must be free to pay players what they are worth, artificial constraints are always open to abuse.
Flame Suit On

gtxb67 · 25-04-2010, 06:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fordv8!

whoever wins the comp this year wont have to beat the best team!! so it will be a bit hallow.

in 2002 the roosters won the premiership without beating the best team - it has happened before, but hopefully not again

of course it could be argued that the bulldogs may not have been the best team if we followed the rules. the zero points situation is not much different to ours. we did get points for the last two games, but we were already resigned to the spoon. in a way, it is a pity it was discovered now and not towards the end of the season. that way any points would be taken off instead of playing for nothing - same result, just maybe a better way

rodderz · 25-04-2010, 10:45 PM

Go the storm- 40-6 win and a bumper crowd there to support them. They seem to have unity at the moment, I have a feeling they'll keep doing this all season to stick it up the NRL.

Falc'man · 25-04-2010, 11:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rodderz

Go the storm- 40-6 win and a bumper crowd there to support them. They seem to have unity at the moment, I have a feeling they'll keep doing this all season to stick it up the NRL.

Wow. To say I'm surprised would be a gross understatement. I never thought the fans would be as forgiving, but at the same time it could just be their way of showing appreciation and support to those players that had nothing to with this.

For the sake of the game, especially down there, that is good news.

**ebxr8240** · 26-04-2010, 12:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rodderz

Go the storm- 40-6 win and a bumper crowd there to support them. They seem to have unity at the moment, I have a feeling they'll keep doing this all season to stick it up the NRL.

Good on them ... The crowd was right behind them..
Sounded like an FA cup game...

GTJOHN · 26-04-2010, 09:13 AM

Well done STorm, good to see them put in a great effort..
also good to see the crowd turn up en masse...i wonder how loong that will keep happening for ????

**DJR-351** · 26-04-2010, 09:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DRU842

The issue is complex for the NRL and its not entirely of their own making.
Unlike the AFL they have two almost direct competitors for players services (with the AFL also beginning to taking an interest) - Rugby Union (at all levels) & the English Super League.
The NRL Players Union has never agreed to a player draft, which the AFL & NFL (as well as other US pro sports) need to work in tandem, with a cap. Yes the draft is illegal under Australian Employment Law however the AFL Players choose not to challenge the system for the good of their game; the NRL players association has always said they would challenge in court, if implemented. The draft also allows for an additional form of punishment / compensation, that is NOT available to the NRL. A salary cap on clubs does NOT contravene Australian Employment Law, as the clubs are free to pay players whatever maximum they can negotiate.
The NRL is currently the least professional sporting body in the country (my opinion) as they have not been able to overcome these issues with the players & their NRL accredited agents, nor face the reality that the alternative is to rationalise clubs - an unpleasant thought as former players dominate administration.
The lack of true pentaly by the NRL of known salary cap breaches has contributed greatly to this current situation; they have been soft! The fact that this breach came to light via a whistle blower & not an audit is appalling!
For those who say the penalty is too severe, what alternative action could be taken? The squad from 2007 would not be together if the rules had been complied with, the impact on other teams is open to all sorts of what if's - my own team, the Sharks, lost a preliminary final in 2008 to the Storm; their troubles since may have been very different with a final or a premiership (in my dreams!) under their belt. Every NRL club/fan could argue something similar.
To leave the 2010 squad with no penalty is unworkable, the only potential solution I have seen, would be to award points, from the point the cap is bought back in compliance - as it will take many months to unravel the whole sorry story this is also unlikely in 2010.
For those who say the players are not aware of what they are paid, there is rumor that the 'dual' contracts have player signatures on them. However the kicker for me is that even if they are so gullible as to appoint an agent & no nothing of the details of their contract, it doesn't matter, they are still responsible; your agent is you under the law; e.g. your account stuffs your tax return your still responsible under the law - the sickening thing is these 'agents' are accredited by the NRL - so who is the fool?
Do I believe the Storm are on their own in rorting a flawed system; NO but they and anyone else, including my team, deserve the punishments coming their way for breaking the rules & faith with the fans.
Personally I believe that professional sport at its top level must be free to pay players what they are worth, artificial constraints are always open to abuse.
Flame Suit On

No need for the Flame suit, one of the best posts on the subject IMO...

Bearman · 26-04-2010, 10:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rodderz

Go the storm- 40-6 win and a bumper crowd there to support them. They seem to have unity at the moment, I have a feeling they'll keep doing this all season to stick it up the NRL.

And that is the perfect response from the players, the coach and the supporters. How good would it be if they become the unofficial minor premiers!! Be proud!! Well done.

prydey · 26-04-2010, 11:03 AM

this is only going to create more drama for the NRL. the salary cap is in place to stop teams from having too much talent under 1 roof. Storm have been shown to be in breach of that and yet are being allowed to continue playing unchanged. i can see the other clubs becoming a bit more vocal about it.

gtxb67 · 26-04-2010, 11:26 AM

it seems that all of the other clubs are in favour of storm playing as they are for the rest of the season
they do not want them to get split up or for them to score points

OLDFORDNUT · 26-04-2010, 11:27 AM

GO STORM.
stick it up the ranters

gtxb67 · 26-04-2010, 12:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OLDFORDNUT

GO STORM.
stick it up the ranters

i hope they get through this - it would have been easy for me to follow storm because my vfa club oakleigh were purple and gold. i follow phoenix suns in the nba for that reason. storm having those two colours plus my favourite; blue meant they were almost perfect for me, but since there was already a bulldogs, i had followed canterbury for 15 years previous

it would be good to see storm go undeafeted from now on, but that may do more damage than good. if they stayed up for the remainder of the season, then there would only be deflation in september, which might wreck next year's quest. having said that, nothing drives people on like disappointment, so who knows

i do hope they can keep all of their players and the ones that contributed to this are man enough to take a pay cut - they would still be wealthy themselves, but putting the team first would be great. i will never forgive anasta for leaving us over the same situation

THE4RD · 26-04-2010, 12:39 PM

Wally's an Ar$e
The NRL's a Farce
Storm IS class

I was there for the 40 to 6 wim and it was great. Go Storm.

I like Phil Gould's comments on the matter. To paraphrase:

Edited Quote:

"Our system at the moment virtually forces clubs to cheat if they want to remain competitive. What did we expect them to do?

Years ago the NRL decided to put a team in Melbourne. Their charter was to sell the game of rugby league to a city steeped in the traditions of VFL and now AFL football. They existed, survived in a city that didn't want them, playing out of a stadium that was from a forgotten era, witnessed by media that would put their results on the same page as junior AFL.

If we delivered this city an average team, with average coaches, achieving average results, the rugby league mission down south wouldn't have reached first base. No Storm player should be minutely tainted in this latest tragedy. They played the game like no other team ever.

They joined the Storm adventure as youngsters, hopefuls, misfits, could-be, would-be, has-been players; but they became a team that you had to beat because they would never give up.

They became champions; not once, not twice, but thrice. They became world club champions on two occasions, if you please, effectively promoting the Melbourne Storm brand to all corners of the sporting globe. Their record over the past 12 years is better than any other club or franchise in the NRL during that time.

In more recent years, the Melbourne Storm fans fell in love with their latest crop of stars such as Billy Slater, Cameron Smith, Cooper Cronk, Greg Inglis, Israel Folau, Ryan Hoffman, Dallas Johnson, Adam Blair, Jeremy Smith, Brett White, Steve Turner, Anthony Quinn, Jeff Lima; all of whom came to the Storm as virtual nobodies and graduated to the status of premiership winners and representative-class footballers.

As the list of team and personal achievements grew, so too did the value of all these players.

What did we expect the club to do? Let it all go?
Did we expect them to let these ridiculous salary cap laws gradually pull the team apart so they could be held back with the average teams in the league?"

End Quote.

So do the NRL want more Sonny Bill Williams episodes?

Do they want the NRL to just become a recruiting ground for the Super 14/15s and the English Super league (and more recently for the AFL)?

If a club finds a player, recruits them, develops them and builds a team with a winning style and a winning culture then they should be allowed to keep them. The only cap should be on how much they can spend on buying in talent rather than keeping it (after they have spent the effort developing it).

Storm beat the Warriors WITH TWO NEW PLAYERS IN THE TEAM THAT CAME UP FROM THE STORM UNDER 20's. One of whom scored two tries (and a disallowed third)

Proves the point!

prydey · 26-04-2010, 12:53 PM

some good points raised there. if the club is responsible for developing the talent, it makes it difficult when they are almost forced to increase their salaries to keep them in the fold.

maybe the players themselves could stop it by not being greedy and chasing the dollar!! show a bit of loyalty to the club that gave you the opportunity.

gtxb67 · 26-04-2010, 12:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by prydey

some good points raised there. if the club is responsible for developing the talent, it makes it difficult when they are almost forced to increase their salaries to keep them in the fold.

maybe the players themselves could stop it by not being greedy and chasing the dollar!! show a bit of loyalty to the club that gave you the opportunity.

they could be more loyal for sure
essendon - just to name one club had to offload many good players at the start of the century to remain under their cap. it is nothing new, a salary cap is needed for the teams with lesser fans - we stay loyal, why can't the players

THE4RD · 26-04-2010, 01:08 PM

I have no issue that Storm broke the rules (actually the Club's management broke the rules). But the rules need to be looked at.

If the Salary cap's true purpose is to share the joy around then it misses the point. It's just a disguised form of handicapping.

It is a very restrictive and uncreative solution to the problem of evening out the playing field.

Why don't the NRL openly acknowledge that they want to shackle the better teams so that they can give an advantage to the also rans.

They should just start a true handicapping system and have a points spread system like the bookies in order to win premiership points, or some other system. Then they players could earn what they are worth without forcing the team to be repeatedly split up. At least this would be an open and visible handicap.

If the NRL salary cap is $4.1M per club then the total pool available for player payments is $65.6M. There are soccer players that earn thus much individually in one year.

A champion team will always beat a team of champions. And the Storm is a champion team because it was built up as one.

Go Storm

Ralliart · 26-04-2010, 03:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by THE4RD

Wally's an Ar$e
The NRL's a Farce
Storm IS class

I was there for the 40 to 6 wim and it was great. Go Storm.

I like Phil Gould's comments on the matter. To paraphrase:

Edited Quote:

"Our system at the moment virtually forces clubs to cheat if they want to remain competitive. What did we expect them to do?

Years ago the NRL decided to put a team in Melbourne. Their charter was to sell the game of rugby league to a city steeped in the traditions of VFL and now AFL football. They existed, survived in a city that didn't want them, playing out of a stadium that was from a forgotten era, witnessed by media that would put their results on the same page as junior AFL.

If we delivered this city an average team, with average coaches, achieving average results, the rugby league mission down south wouldn't have reached first base. No Storm player should be minutely tainted in this latest tragedy. They played the game like no other team ever.

They joined the Storm adventure as youngsters, hopefuls, misfits, could-be, would-be, has-been players; but they became a team that you had to beat because they would never give up.

They became champions; not once, not twice, but thrice. They became world club champions on two occasions, if you please, effectively promoting the Melbourne Storm brand to all corners of the sporting globe. Their record over the past 12 years is better than any other club or franchise in the NRL during that time.

In more recent years, the Melbourne Storm fans fell in love with their latest crop of stars such as Billy Slater, Cameron Smith, Cooper Cronk, Greg Inglis, Israel Folau, Ryan Hoffman, Dallas Johnson, Adam Blair, Jeremy Smith, Brett White, Steve Turner, Anthony Quinn, Jeff Lima; all of whom came to the Storm as virtual nobodies and graduated to the status of premiership winners and representative-class footballers.

As the list of team and personal achievements grew, so too did the value of all these players.

What did we expect the club to do? Let it all go?
Did we expect them to let these ridiculous salary cap laws gradually pull the team apart so they could be held back with the average teams in the league?"

End Quote.

So do the NRL want more Sonny Bill Williams episodes?

Do they want the NRL to just become a recruiting ground for the Super 14/15s and the English Super league (and more recently for the AFL)?

If a club finds a player, recruits them, develops them and builds a team with a winning style and a winning culture then they should be allowed to keep them. The only cap should be on how much they can spend on buying in talent rather than keeping it (after they have spent the effort developing it).

Storm beat the Warriors WITH TWO NEW PLAYERS IN THE TEAM THAT CAME UP FROM THE STORM UNDER 20's. One of whom scored two tries (and a disallowed third)

Proves the point!

Love every bit of that quote , the NRL need a compllete overall of the saley cap ie like the afl, and for GOD SAKE Someones PLEASE SACK GALLOP omfg i was watching Phil Gould's comments, he doesn't want to except that he's right and Gallop's wrong IMO this saga will destroy the nrl for years to come, Melbourne storm hopefully will survive this , i hope what they do last night to every single team in nrl , i just find it funny that all the tries in last nights game came from Youngster not Superstars.

rodderz · 26-04-2010, 09:00 PM

I notice a lot of the big negativity comes from NSW teams and their supporters. As Gus had said the Storm coaches and staff brought youngsters in and turned them into superstars- the other teams are quite welcome to do the same. It seems they try to emulate the quality of players and gutsy efforts but can't so they sink the boot in as they are an interstate side. Storm are definitely beatable as has been shown on plenty of occasions.

itchy brother · 26-04-2010, 09:10 PM

Here is a bit more on the subject which could be of some interest!

Salary cap rort could top $2million

THE full extent of Melbourne Storm's salary cap rorting will take at least three weeks to uncover with fears it will rise over the $2 million mark and involve up to 12 players.

The Daily Telegraph understands five current players - Billy Slater, Greg Inglis, Cameron Smith, Cooper Cronk and Brett White - and three former players in Mick Crocker, Dallas Johnson and Steve Turner were all receiving payments outside the club's salary cap over the past five years.

There are no suggestions the players would have been aware the payments were illegal but there were fears last night at least another three stars had been paid outside the cap or had received gifts from sponsors.

Dumped Storm chief executive Matt Hanson admitted to a $1.7 million scam in his confessions to the NRL last Thursday.

But it emerged over the weekend that players were given speedboats, cars for their partners and $20,000 store cards from one of Australia's biggest retailers.

"It could be $500,000 more than first thought," a source said.

One player even worked as a phantom security guard on a corporate marquee at the Melbourne Cup three years ago and was paid $20,000 for doing nothing.

Another received a free $30,000 boat and a $20,000 gift voucher.

An NRL source said last night investigators and senior accountants would take several weeks to uncover the extent of the rorting.

"There is a very real chance more players and more payments will be uncovered. This is still very much a work in progress," he said.

Investigators also hope to interview Melbourne-based music promoter and entrepreneur Andrew McManus this week about his alleged role in the payments.

NRL boss David Gallop received the full support of the other 15 club chief executives in a phone hook-up yesterday to update the clubs on the progress of investigations.

But Storm members were not so forgiving and were considering legal action over the penalty.

Les Mapstone, a member since the Storm's first NRL season in 1998 said: "My view is it's a Melbourne thing, if it was St George or a foundation club they wouldn't be punished at this level."

gtxb67 · 26-04-2010, 10:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by itchy brother

There are no suggestions the players would have been aware the payments were illegal but there were fears last night at least another three stars had been paid outside the cap or had received gifts from sponsors

here they tell us the players are innocent

and then

Quote:

Originally Posted by itchy brother

But it emerged over the weekend that players were given speedboats, cars for their partners and $20,000 store cards from one of Australia's biggest retailers.

One player even worked as a phantom security guard on a corporate marquee at the Melbourne Cup three years ago and was paid $20,000 for doing nothing.

Another received a free $30,000 boat and a $20,000 gift voucher.

i realise the players are not that sharp, but gifts, phantom jobs etc. they are as crooked as the guys who organised the cheating

let's hope those crooked players take a pay cut so the team can stay together