Skipper hopes 'special bond' will keep players together

[Cockadoodledoo]

MELBOURNE Storm captain Cameron Smith yesterday said a bond that no one else could understand would drive the players to make every attempt to remain as a unit next season.

http://www.theage.com.au/rugby-leag...will-keep-players-together-20100426-tnam.html

Government Bonds perhaps?

 

[kia ora storm]

Don't think that will happen...

 

[Loudstrat]

Sexual?

Geez he is a turd.

 

[Storming Norman]

Geez he is a turd.

bit like you?

 

[Loudstrat]

No. Im underpaid ;-)

 

[Twizzle]

none of these players make any sense

I'm sick of seeing the Billy Slater interview where he says we deserve to keep our premiership because we worked hard for it

some of these guys are just so unintelligent, they cant see that the team has been assembled illegally and hard work is not the issue, what about all the hard work the teams did that they beat using illegally bought players

 

[Jatz Crackers]

They specially bonded whilst on a boat.

Afterwards they went shopping at a major Australian electrical appliance store.

 

[Holla if ya hear me]

Yer righttttt ..they will stay together...have a look at the dogs two years after

 

[Different kind of Rabbit]

The NRL and now News have both stated that they will do their best to bust this team up. I'm guessing the Melbourne Storm roster will look vastly different come round 1 2011.

 

[KeepingTheFaith]

A special bond they were allowed to develop because they didn't have an ever changing roster like the the legal clubs.

That 'special bond' isn't just about playing together with friends, it was formed and strengthened through the success they had, the premierships, the world club challenges etc etc, all of which they obtained illegally.

Their 'special bond' is illegal, go NRL, strip them of it.

 

[Ike E Bear]

none of these players make any sense

I'm sick of seeing the Billy Slater interview where he says we deserve to keep our premiership because we worked hard for it

some of these guys are just so unintelligent, they cant see that the team has been assembled illegally and hard work is not the issue, what about all the hard work the teams did that they beat using illegally bought players

Assuming for a moment that players didn't do anything wrong personally - they reasonably believed that everything they were paid/given was reported to the NRL and counted under the salary cap - I think they have been very harshly dealt with.

Doesn't change the fact that the penalty is appropriate and that few if any other real options were available to the NRL. Just means they are victims too.

In that situation, I wonder why so many of these guys feel so much loyalty to the club? If the players are innocent, they have a right to be filthy ... but that anger is misdirected if aimed at the NRL, salary cap or another other party than certain individuals within the past and present club administration. Same with Bellamy.

What damage has all of this done to their individual reputations? How does that potentially impact their ability to get endorsement deals? They may have some grounds for legal action of their own ... maybe even a class action. News Ltd have some deep pockets. Surely it has crossed some of their minds ... except maybe the ones that possibly know they are not blameless.

 

[BLKOUT!]

Trust Smith to suggest pay-cuts. He can afford to since he's been getting paid bucketloads that he shouldn't have been given in the first place.

How about the players pay back the money they were given illegally, then they can take pay cuts to stay. I wonder how passionate they'll be about it then.

 

[JoeD]

If they had such a special bond why the need to cheat in the first place to keep the team together?

 

[Iafeta]

A special bond they were allowed to develop because they didn't have an ever changing roster like the the legal clubs.

That 'special bond' isn't just about playing together with friends, it was formed and strengthened through the success they had, the premierships, the world club challenges etc etc, all of which they obtained illegally.

Their 'special bond' is illegal, go NRL, strip them of it.

If they had such a special bond why the need to cheat in the first place to keep the team together?

What these fellas said is the truth.

 

[Doomednow]

Assuming for a moment that players didn't do anything wrong personally - they reasonably believed that everything they were paid/given was reported to the NRL and counted under the salary cap - I think they have been very harshly dealt with.

Doesn't change the fact that the penalty is appropriate and that few if any other real options were available to the NRL. Just means they are victims too.

In that situation, I wonder why so many of these guys feel so much loyalty to the club? If the players are innocent, they have a right to be filthy ... but that anger is misdirected if aimed at the NRL, salary cap or another other party than certain individuals within the past and present club administration. Same with Bellamy.

What damage has all of this done to their individual reputations? How does that potentially impact their ability to get endorsement deals? They may have some grounds for legal action of their own ... maybe even a class action. News Ltd have some deep pockets. Surely it has crossed some of their minds ... except maybe the ones that possibly know they are not blameless.

This.

The whole "us against them" mentality is ridiculous. Fair enough they are trying to prove they are down but not out, want to put on a good show for the fans that support them, etc. But it does seem like a lot of their anger is completely misdirected. If they are innocent surely there must be one or two players at least who feel betrayed by their club (rather than every one and thing that isnt dressed in purple) and might want to distance themselves from it as much as possible.

It was their club that failed them by betraying them and everyone else who really cares about rugby league. It was their club that ensured they could secure a couple of premierships that would be found out as illegal. All anyone else did was try to make sure the rules were being adhered to and a fair and sporting competition was being run.

 

[The EELiminator]

This.

The whole "us against them" mentality is ridiculous. Fair enough they are trying to prove they are down but not out, want to put on a good show for the fans that support them, etc. But it does seem like a lot of their anger is completely misdirected. If they are innocent surely there must be one or two players at least who feel betrayed by their club (rather than every one and thing that isnt dressed in purple) and might want to distance themselves from it as much as possible.

It was their club that failed them by betraying them and everyone else who really cares about rugby league. It was their club that ensured they could secure a couple of premierships that would be found out as illegal. All anyone else did was try to make sure the rules were being adhered to and a fair and sporting competition was being run.

they keep pointing the finger at the nrl if i was a storm player i would be going after waldron wouldnt you?

 

[Schiltzenberger]

they keep pointing the finger at the nrl if i was a storm player i would be going after waldren wouldnt you?

That's one of the reasons why I have assumed all along that some players knew about it. If they really had no idea they'd be bagging Waldron for killing the team and deceiving them but they are whinging about the NRL taking stuff off them.

 

[mickdo]

That's one of the reasons why I have assumed all along that some players knew about it. If they really had no idea they'd be bagging Waldron for killing the team and deceiving them but they are whinging about the NRL taking stuff off them.

+1

 

[Brutus]

The Melbourne v Sydney rivalry in RL is born.

Great to see.

National comp here we come!

 

[Loudstrat]

You Gimp. You reckon the Non Sydney clubs are not pissed off?

You are fast becoming the Victorian version of Charlie Saab!