Directors to pursue legal challenge against NRL

[cyberdj]

What a scummy club.

Just look at its weasal supporters backing them as well.

F@rk off. I don't support it, they should get on with trying to get things right for next year.

However the directors of the club have to follow the same rules as directors of a major business. if the best thing for the club is to address the apparently incorrect process of issuing punishment taken by the NRL, then they are legally bound to follow up on this 'loophole'.

As a fan, I don't believe it's the best thing for the club... but they might (and from the sounds of it they do) think differently.

Scummy administration and anyone else involved in the rort... they don't make the club... unfortunately they are a part (or were) of the club.

 

[Noa]

If there is a technical breach of governance it still wont change the end game.

Do you know what youre talking about ?Technical breaches keep murderers, rapists and fraudsters out of jail. The law is all about technacalities.

 

[El Diablo]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/05/13/2898365.htm

Storm directors alone on any challenge

Posted May 13, 2010 11:49:00

Independent directors of the Melbourne Storm have advised owners News Limited they are considering legal action against the NRL over salary cap penalties, but News says it will not support or fund such a move.

The Storm's independent chairman, Rob Moodie, originally agreed with News that legal action was not an option, but has now says independent directors want the NRL to review the heavy penalties and are considering legal action if necessary.

Melbourne-based law firm Arnold Bloch Liebler has been advised by Melbourne's directors to consider a legal challenge to the NRL about the manner in which the NRL determined the penalties, which included the stripping of two premierships and three minor premierships and all competition points accrued this season.

However, News Ltd chairman and chief executive John Hartigan said his company, who are substantial owners of the NRL, could not support such a challenge.

"We acknowledge their views and we disagree with them," Hartigan said in a lengthy statement.

"News recognises that the penalties are unprecedented. We know how devastating this has been for the fans, players, staff and sponsors of the Storm.

"We have said we will consider any idea from players, fans or anyone else that would help minimise the impact of the penalties on the Storm.

"But, we don't believe a legal challenge to the NRL's procedures is the answer. On the contrary, it could further damage the Storm.

"A legal challenge like the one being contemplated will be time consuming, expensive and a distraction from the real issues when everyone associated with the club should be focussed on rebuilding the Storm."

Hartigan said the focus should instead be on investigating the systematic breaches that occurred and who was responsible.

"It is important to remember that certain people at the Storm orchestrated complex fraud and deception to conceal huge extra payments to some of the club's players that put the Storm well over the salary cap for five years," he said.

"However justified or well intentioned a legal challenge might be in the minds of the independent directors or others, it won't change what's already happened and it won't absolve those that have done the wrong thing.

"Right now, we have two top priorities. We want to get to the bottom of what went on and who was responsible.

"Equally, and more importantly for the long term, we have started work on rebuilding the Storm so that it has a clean slate, new management and a credible plan to restore its reputation.

"To that end, the board of the Storm should be concentrating on how the club can field a team next season that is within the salary cap.

"I call on Rob Moodie and the other independent directors to focus on these priorities."

Hartigan said the forensic audit of the club's financial affairs by the accounting firm Deloitte was well underway and a full report was expected in June.

"We are determined to get to the bottom of what went on and hold those responsible to account," he said.

 

[seaeagle sam]

Who are these independent directors pandering to? Surely it's not the decent Storm supporters who realise it was the only penalty that could be passed.

The club cheated, they got caught and accepted the penalty.

So why now do they think the stripping of premierships gleened through rorting, out and out deceitfulness and a willingness to accept winning premierships without doing the hard yards like every other club (and supporter) is fine, legal and ethical?

It's not like they were caught with their hand in the bickie jar - they were trying to lift the whole bakery.

Please, FFS, take you medicine like you have a pair of bollocks and stop dragging the NRL through a pile of sh*t.

 

[Keysee]

DO NOT SHOOT THE MESSENGER, I DO NOT AGREE WITH THE APPEAL.

I have just returned from Storm HQ at Princes Park. Apparently the NRL charter states that in the event of what the Storm did, a NRL extraordinary board meeting was to be convened, the matter tabled, and penalties meted out, if applicable.

We all know that the board consists of News Ltd people and Galliop felt it was a conflict of interest and the board meeting did not happen. He did not notify the board members to give them the option of abstaining. Due process did not happen. This will form the basis of the appeal and cannot fail.

 

[Jatz Crackers]

Do you know what youre talking about ?
Technical breaches keep murderers, rapists and fraudsters out of jail. The law is all about technacalities.

And threats of legal action are quite often designed to influence a different reaction or change the current action of one of the parties.

Technical aspects of the law may well keep murderes out of jail but whats your point ?

 

[Jatz Crackers]

DO NOT SHOOT THE MESSENGER, I DO NOT AGREE WITH THE APPEAL.

I have just returned from Storm HQ at Princes Park. Apparently the NRL charter states that in the event of what the Storm did, a NRL extraordinary board meeting was to be convened, the matter tabled, and penalties meted out, if applicable.

We all know that the board consists of News Ltd people and Galliop felt it was a conflict of interest and the board meeting did not happen. He did not notify the board members to give them the option of abstaining. Due process did not happen. This will form the basis of the appeal and cannot fail.

Nothing to stop a future extraordinary board meeting being held with the same outcome in penalties being applied.

 

[melbourne_belle]

I wish they would just stop and concentrate on re-building our club and looking to ensure we have a competitive side under the cap next season.
They need to accept it and move on as this will just make it worse IMO.

 

[Mickyd39]

I wish they would just stop and concentrate on re-building our club and looking to ensure we have a competitive side under the cap next season.
They need to accept it and move on as this will just make it worse IMO.

Good post.

You can't be a Storm fan, you are making too much sense.:lol:

 

[Noa]

How will it make it worse Bell ? Maybe for the loons on here but Im sure most Storm fans are happy theyre at least exploring the option. If a judge or the full baord of the NRL came back and said the penalties are appropriate Id cop that on the chin however when I hear some of the amounts being bandies about that we were over may be waaay off I want answers . And if thats true how can you justify the penalty when you dont know the full crime.

 

[gronkathon]

Lets be realistic. The Storm Board members would not just be doing this to right the wrongs done to the Storm

Board members are professionals who, in part, make their living based off their reputation. The Melbourne Storm independant board come out of this situation looking dodgy or highly incompetant at their jobs. By pursuing such an action it will go some ways as to restoring some face if the action is taken to the courts

 

[851]

Even if they found Gallop was out of order,how can an illegal team win a premiership,the suit the NRL will counterfile will still leave the Storm wth 2 less premierships,plus they are over $1,000,000 over the cap this year.
They are not only cheats,they are whinging cheats,an even worse kind than the normal cheats.

 

[melbourne_belle]

How will it make it worse Bell ? Maybe for the loons on here but Im sure most Storm fans are happy theyre at least exploring the option. If a judge or the full baord of the NRL came back and said the penalties are appropriate Id cop that on the chin however when I hear some of the amounts being bandies about that we were over may be waaay off I want answers . And if thats true how can you justify the penalty when you dont know the full crime.

I am just over it, I am sick of hearing about the salary cap, its everywhere. I just want to move on and concentrate on the future of the club, not get into some sh*t fight about the past.
IMO the directors should be concentrating on how we can keep crowd levels up this season and not lose fans and keep interest in the RL down here growing.

I don't agree with the way the NRL come up with the penalties and I do think they were a knee jerk reaction and not thought out at all, but I am just over it all.
Say we as a club take legal action and get the prems back, how much are they really worth when we were over the cap when we "won" them?
I do however think there has to be a better way for us to get back in the comp this season.

 

[Keysee]

I am just over it, I am sick of hearing about the salary cap, its everywhere. I just want to move on and concentrate on the future of the club, not get into some sh*t fight about the past.
IMO the directors should be concentrating on how we can keep crowd levels up this season and not lose fans and keep interest in the RL down here growing.

I don't agree with the way the NRL come up with the penalties and I do think they were a knee jerk reaction and not thought out at all, but I am just over it all.
Say we as a club take legal action and get the prems back, how much are they really worth when we were over the cap when we "won" them?
I do however think there has to be a better way for us to get back in the comp this season.

Totally agree with you except it was Gallop alone who came up with the penalties, not the NRL. I also want to add, I cannot see how these independant board members think it will go down with News Ltd if they challenge. News Ltd and John Hartigan have been very fair towards the Storm, saying they will continue to bankroll the club, but oppose any challenge.

STORM BOARD - DO NOT BITE THE HAND THAT FEEDS YOU.

 

[seaeagle sam]

I don't agree with the way the NRL come up with the penalties and I do think they were a knee jerk reaction and not thought out at all, but I am just over it all.

Belle, fair enough, but I'm just interested in what do you think the penalties should have been then?

 

[Noa]

I am just over it, I am sick of hearing about the salary cap, its everywhere. I just want to move on and concentrate on the future of the club, not get into some sh*t fight about the past.
IMO the directors should be concentrating on how we can keep crowd levels up this season and not lose fans and keep interest in the RL down here growing.

I don't agree with the way the NRL come up with the penalties and I do think they were a knee jerk reaction and not thought out at all, but I am just over it all.
Say we as a club take legal action and get the prems back, how much are they really worth when we were over the cap when we "won" them?
I do however think there has to be a better way for us to get back in the comp this season.

I hear ya Belle.I would rather just enjoy the football for the rest of the year as well, and celebrate things like Richie Kennar just making the NSW U-16 team, a major breakthrough for a Victorian born and developed play.

 

[Keysee]

Belle, fair enough, but I'm just interested in what do you think the penalties should have been then?

Better questions How were the penalties decided when the total mess still hasn't been discovered? What benefit was there in announcing the penalties then, rather than when to total mess is found?

As Josh Massoud from Daily Telegraph is saying on FOX Sports at the moment, when an interchange error occurs, the NRL takes up to 6 weeks to decide if the club is stripped of 2 premiership points. How did Gallop come up with his raft of penalties in less than 2 hours?

Why couldnt Gallop have said to the Storm the other week - SPRUNG and instigated the current investigation. When the investigation was complete, put together a committee of non conflicted persons, and give the penalties - possibly even worse than what we got because the rort is bigger. But he would have been seen to be acting inline with NRL charter not as a vigilante.

Me, personally, there is no way known a team that far over can be awarded the 2009 premiership. The 2007 rort was between $100-150k. It depends on whether the situation is looked at year-by-year or as the whole mess.

 

[melbourne_belle]

Belle, fair enough, but I'm just interested in what do you think the penalties should have been then?

I do agree that our premierships needed to be stripped, but I do not agree with not being able to play for points this season, yes we are over the cap and are an illegal team but there shouldve been more thought about how to deal with the team this year. The way David Gallop handled the situation could've easily killed the Melbourne Storm*



* in no way am I directing blame away from the Melbourne Storm because we put oursleves in this situation.

 

[Gaba]

All what news limited has to go refuse to put money towards the storm if storm take legal action. Then the nrl and news limited counter sue storm directors for damages it was the storm who admitted guilt and accepted the punishment.


The nrl if they counter sue and win

The storm directors are bringing the game into disrepute and not offer storm invitation to play in the nrl

 

[Cockadoodledoo]

If they proceed with this, they should be expelled from the competition with their file marked "never to return".

what he said... and for the sake of Melbourne fans.. I hope a new team with a new administration can be set up.. Melbourne deserve a team but the Storm have too much stench associated with them.