GLENN JACKSON AND SEBASTIAN HASSETT
April 27, 2010
Big loss ... Billy Slater may have to move on from Melbourne.
Photo: Getty Images
MELBOURNE officials fear that not one of their star quartet - Greg Inglis, Billy Slater, Cameron Smith and Cooper Cronk - would ever play against the Storm, raising the prospects of at least one of them quitting the NRL completely as the club attempts to shed up to $1 million worth of talent in time for the 2011 season.
Senior staff believe a major loss for the club would likely result in a significant loss for the code. And it appears almost unavoidable given the significance of the Storm's potential cap breach for next season is likely to require them to release one of their biggest names.
Melbourne's acting chief executive Frank Stanton will hold talks today with the NRL's salary cap auditor Ian Schubert to seek clarification of exactly how far over the cap they are likely to be next year, given they are $700,000 over the $4.1m ceiling this year and some back-ended contracts have ballooned player payments into 2011.
Storm players remain stoic about their desire to take pay cuts to ensure the squad that has been illegally assembled will not be broken up, but that remains a forlorn hope as NRL chief executive David Gallop is reluctant to accept the option. That means there is little chance the club can avoid losing one or more of its big four.
All four players debuted in first grade for the club, and Storm officials believe the bond they share with each other will result in them quitting the NRL before they play against the club.
''I just don't think they'd go to any other club, and that's an issue for the game,'' a Melbourne insider said. ''We will be raising this with the NRL. I would think they would be more willing to move overseas or change codes than play against Melbourne.''
That is something that was hinted at by Storm captain Cameron Smith, who said yesterday: ''The majority of this team has been put together from kids. We've all worked together, for a long time, to get to where we are.''
All four will likely hold some bitterness towards the game as well, increasing the likelihood that rugby union clubs at home and abroad, English Super League and the AFL might prosper by the NRL's decision to punish the Storm so severely. The players are likely to be formally addressed by the Rugby League Players' Association tomorrow, after informal talks following their win over the Warriors. The union's chief executive, David Garnsey, and general manager, Jamie Barrington, will also meet NRL officials today to be updated on their position.
Garnsey and Barrington spoke to the Storm players at the club's after-match function on Sunday, but plan to fly to Melbourne again tomorrow for more formal talks. ''We just need to understand where they want to head with all this,'' Garnsey said.
Smith maintained his players would consider pay cuts to keep the squad intact. ''I don't think it's a something [people understand],'' he said. ''I can't explain to you guys and I don't think you'll ever understand and I don't think anyone else will ever understand what we have at this club and it's not something we want to give away lightly.
''I think there's talk about how we have to lose players and all the rest of it to be under the cap, but if we can find a way, a similar thing to what the Bulldogs did, they worked out a way to stay together. That's what our game is about. It's about building a strong team, a strong bond together and trying to keep that bond together as long as we can.
''We haven't spoken about it at length. There's been guys speaking here and there about it but I'm pretty certain - and I'm pretty sure I speak on behalf of all the boys - we know we've got a special bond at this club.''
When pressed about the changes that would have to be made, Smith said: ''Well, from the players and the coach's understanding, that's what we've done for the past five years. Have a look at the calibre of blokes we've had to lose; Steve Turner, Dallas Johnson, Matt King, Scott Hill, Ben Cross, the list goes on, every year.''
