Mr Spock!
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Seems like Broncos are getting a helping hand.
</H1>BRAD WALTER AND GREG PRICHARD
July 12, 2010On the move?. . . Greg Inglis. Photo: Getty Images
RIVAL NRL clubs are set to oppose any move that allows News Ltd to subsidise the transfer of star centre Greg Inglis from the Melbourne Storm to the media organisation's Brisbane team.
As the league world awaits the findings of a News audit, expected to be released tomorrow and expected to detail the extent of the Storm's salary cap breaches, Inglis has been linked with a move to the Broncos.
Brisbane officials, however, admit they can not afford to take over his $650,000-per-season contract.
Melbourne officials also insist that they have no intention of topping up any contracts offered by rival clubs for their star quartet of Inglis, Cameron Smith, Billy Slater and Cooper Cronk, and have formulated a plan that could involve releasing up to 10 other players to keep the big four.
The Storm are expected to come under increased pressure to release at least one one of the foursome after the results of the 12-week Deloitte investigation and there are fears that Inglis could be transferred from one News-owned club to another, with the Murdoch empire to pay the difference between his current contract and what the Broncos can offer him.
With News being a 50 per cent shareholder in the NRL, the move would again raise further conflict of interest questions over the media company's involvement in the game.
At least one CEO from a rival club is understood to have already raised his objection to such a move. Other clubs would also be unhappy that the Storm would ease their salary-cap woes by releasing a player to Brisbane when they are waiting for others to come on to the market.
All clubs will get a clearer picture of exactly who the Storm have to cut to get under the $4.2 million cap for 2011 when News announces the results of the Deloitte audit at a press conference in Sydney that has been tentatively scheduled for tomorrow.
The announcement will follow today's appearance in the Victorian Supreme Court by lawyers representing the Storm's four independent directors, who are taking action against the NRL over the severity of the penalties against the the club and how they were imposed.
It is believed both parties would now be happy for the matter to be expedited and hearing dates in August could be set today, enabling a decision to be reached before the end of the regular season so as not to jeopardise the NRL finals.
One of the four independent directors, Gerry Ryan, has been linked to moves before news of the salary cap scandal broke in April to buy the club from News. The media group had wanted to shed its financial interest in Melbourne by the time it hands over control of the game to an independent commission.
News also had shareholdings in Canberra and North Queensland as a result of the Super League war, but has wanted to reduce, eventually, its interest to one club.
However, the report of Deloitte's forensic audit into the financial affairs of the Storm is unlikely to make the club an attractive proposition for any buyer.
News's head of corporate affairs, Greg Baxter, said last night the release would be ''very detailed'', adding: ''We received the report in the past week, and we've been checking a few things with our lawyers. A few more things will be checked tomorrow, and it is increasingly likely that we'll call a media conference on Tuesday.''
He added: ''There are no plans by News to hold anything back, unless there is something we can't release because there would be legal consequences to us doing so.
''The report can't be released in its original form, because it is legally privileged, but there will be an extensive written summary distributed to the media.''
