Bird Fined $15 000

[Sharkie73]

From Fox Sports;

Contrition saves Bird
By Chris Stedman
April 14, 2004

SUSPENDED Cronulla five-eighth Greg Bird was fined $15,000 by his club last night for recklessly kneeing South Sydney winger Shane Marteene in the head during the Sharks' 36-12 round four loss.


Bird: after hearing the bad news

It comes on top of the 10-match ban meted out by the NRL judiciary panel last Wednesday.

Bird is considering challenging the severity of the ban with the support of the Rugby League Professionals' Association.

But despite the fine, $12,000 of which is suspended, Bird said he received a fair hearing before a specially convened club disciplinary panel.

His contrition since his "moment of madness", which included a written apology to Marteene and South Sydney, almost certainly saved him being fined $30,000 by the Sharks.

Chief executive Steve Rogers hoped the club's action would send a message to players about their responsibilities, but admitted he was loathe to "hang the kid out to dry".

"We certainly had the power to fine him $30,000, but he is a young player who has paid a high price for his action," Rogers said. "He has shown contrition and conducted himself really well since the incident.

"We told him tonight we will support him if he decides to challenge the judiciary decision through the Players' Association, but as a club we have decided not to pursue the matter."

 

[wittyfan]

Challenging the severity? It seemed pretty fair to me.

 

[Alan Shore]

If Bird dares to challenge the severity, I will push for him to be cut by the club.

 

[King of the Hill]

It's only really a $3,000 fine
$12,000 suspended until the end of the season

I wonder what he has to do to lose the other 12K? Another unprovoked knee to the head? I'd be curious to find out.

 

[warren]

so he only pays $3000???

 

[Tadpole]

so he only pays $3000???

Thats right virgin boy. If he buggers up at all again during the season then thats when the other 12 grand will be taken from him. Its quite a few good resons to behave yourself for the rest of the year

 

[Mr Angry]

I would also presume he loses 10 weeks of match payments. That would be a quid.
Not sure I am a fan of fines, what grade he comes back in is of far more importance for mine.

With any luck we will be on a 6 game winning streak, and he stays a PL player.

I have no time for thugs, and that was a completely thugish act.

 

[Macca]

Hopefully he does challenge the severity of the ban because he can't lose. Not with all the people getting away with elbows etc. at the moment.

 

[Aries]

so he only pays $3000???

Thats right virgin boy. If he buggers up at all again during the season then thats when the other 12 grand will be taken from him. Its quite a few good resons to behave yourself for the rest of the year

None of it adds up for mine... The Tele today had this in the paper, and suggested he stood to lose $23,000. They then went on with other numbers and suggestions of what he was fined and what was suspended and NONE of it adds up to $12,000!!?? I am confused?!!

 

[wittyfan]

so he only pays $3000???

Thats right virgin boy. If he buggers up at all again during the season then thats when the other 12 grand will be taken from him. Its quite a few good resons to behave yourself for the rest of the year

None of it adds up for mine... The Tele today had this in the paper, and suggested he stood to lose $23,000. They then went on with other numbers and suggestions of what he was fined and what was suspended and NONE of it adds up to $12,000!!?? I am confused?!!

I think the Tele counted the lost match payments on top of the fine.

 

[Aries]

so he only pays $3000???

Thats right virgin boy. If he buggers up at all again during the season then thats when the other 12 grand will be taken from him. Its quite a few good resons to behave yourself for the rest of the year

None of it adds up for mine... The Tele today had this in the paper, and suggested he stood to lose $23,000. They then went on with other numbers and suggestions of what he was fined and what was suspended and NONE of it adds up to $12,000!!?? I am confused?!!

I think the Tele counted the lost match payments on top of the fine.

Well, here it is syllyfan. Can anyone make any sense out of these numbers that are sprayed around. I just looked at it again and I'm stuffed if I can make it add up to $12,000....

Double whammy

By DEAN RITCHIE Rugby League Writer

April 14, 2004

GREG Bird's season went from bad to worse last night when his club fined him $15,000 -- less than a week after he was suspended for 10 matches.


The 20-year-old Cronulla five-eighth fronted a disciplinary committee comprising Sharks chairman Barry Pierce, general manager Steve Rogers and two directors, Don Anderson and Brian Quinn. The meeting went for 40 minutes with Bird represented by his manager, Gavin Orr.

By the time it was over, Bird was facing a major financial penalty of $23,000 for kneeing Souths' Shane Marteene in the head last week.


Bird will lose about $20,000 in match payments on top of the fine, $12,000 of which was suspended by the Sharks committee. He was told that any further breaches would see him incur the suspended fine.


A former Junior Kangaroo and an ex-Australian Schoolboy, Bird was suspended by the NRL judiciary last Wednesday night.


He appeared after being sent off for kneeing Marteene in the head during a match the previous Saturday night at Aussie Stadium.


The club could have fined Bird one-third of his contract value for each week suspended. But the player's contrition impressed club officials.


"We could have fined him up to $30,000, which would have been a third of his contract," Pierce said.


"But we feel he has handled himself extremely well. Greg has been remorseful, apologised and sent a letter to the player [Marteene] and the opposition club. Ten weeks is quite a substantial time out of the game."


Pierce rejected talk the penalty was too severe and that the suspension would have been adequate."To be honest, we are very aware of the discipline we need to implement," Pierce said.


"It was a brain explosion but we don't condone it and we won't tolerate it.


"But as I said, he has handled himself very well and shown a lot of maturity."


Orr said Bird accepted last night's decision. "We feel it was a good decision given what they could have fined Greg," Orr said last night.


"The club has shown it has discipline but they have also been fair.


"Ten weeks is a long time and they took that into consideration.


"Greg is happy the club has supported him even though he has been fined.


"And Greg wants to thank all the Cronulla fans who have supported him throughout this ordeal."


Bird will work in junior development at schools while suspended and may also offer to referee at junior level.


"He will keep training, of course, right through the suspension," Pierce said.


But Bird's worries do not end, even though the kneeing issue is now dead.


He is off contract at the end of the season.


"We feel Greg is a 20-year-old with a lot of potential and he loves playing here," Pierce said.


"We're hoping he comes back bigger and better and shows us what he can do.


"If he does that, naturally we will be looking at another contract."

Source: http://dailytelegraph.news.com.au/story.jsp?sectionid=1264&storyid=1194231

 

[NthCronullaLocal]

Bird on $90000 to begin with!

Bit pricy if you ask me.

$3000 isnt gonna make much of dint on what he earns then.

 

[Aries]

Oh and before some smartarse adds up $20,000 worth of match payments and $3000 in actual fines and gets $23000 in fines, with $12,000 of It suspended, I would ask you to take into account that they said he COULD have been fined upto $30,000 dollars... Well, $20,000 plus $3,000 Plus $12,000 = $35,000, not $30,000 or the 1/30th they are entitled to fine him for each game he misses, which is his match payments!!

like I said, It dont add up!

 

[carinashark]

He was starting to improve. I think we might miss him down in Cannnnnnberrrra.
Carinashark

 

[Macca]

It's easy really.

He loses $20000 in match payments

plus

He is fined $15000. $15000 + $20000 = $35000

$12000 of that fine is suspended. $35000 - $12000 = $23000

So he is losing $23000 and misses ten weeks. He also faces the possibility of losing an extra $12000 if he slips up even slightly. The punishment fits the crime IMO.

 

[Macca]

He loses his match payments as soon as he is suspended. On top of that he can be fined up to a third of his salary. So in total he had the possibility of losing $50000.

 

[Aries]

He loses his match payments as soon as he is suspended. On top of that he can be fined up to a third of his salary. So in total he had the possibility of losing $50000.

BUT he can only be fined 1/30th of his contract for every week of suspension!!

Match payments are a breakdown of their contract, unless they have a separate sign-on fee... for the dummies, he gets a part of his payment for every week he plays, unless stated he is on match payments (is he?). If he is injured he will still get that money(just like Nigel for us or Joey for the Knights, or us if Matty Rogers trips over his little toe, breaking a leg, and is signed & playing for us for $300,000+ a year). If he is suspended, then the Sharks have the right to fine him what they think is a fair part of his final payment... The numbers I have seen add up to 2+2 =3

Anyway, I have looked at those figures in several ways, and they are either way off the mark or way over the mark... Like I said, It doesn't add up!!

 

[Macca]

It seems pretty simple to me. He can be fined up to 1/3 of his yearly wage on top of whatever he misses out on due to his supension.

That means the most he can be fined is $30000.

He loses the other $20000 through his suspension.

"We could have fined him up to $30,000, which would have been a third of his contract," Pierce said.

Bird will lose about $20,000 in match payments on top of the fine

BUT the most important part of this article in IMO was this line

"And Greg wants to thank all the Cronulla fans who have supported him throughout this ordeal."

No worries Greg. ;-)

 

[King of the Hill]

This bit struck me as hilarious:

Greg wants to thank all the Cronulla fans who have supported him throughout this ordeal

All two of them!!

It's like that joke "Black people vote for George W. Bush...they're both in his cabinet!"