Eels Salary Cap MK III

[I'm a loser baby...]

Double

 

[Barry O'Speedwagon]

All this time Greenberg has stated that we have lost all our points because we have operated with a team that is over the cap. If Choc's retirement is approved and his salary is not included in this years cap why wouldn't they consider reducing the points penalty? It appears to at least to me that the NRL is hanging their hat on the fact that we are not cap complaint this year.

What is relevant here is the salary cap value of the players that we went into the season with the intention of having available for selection (i.e. the players whose contracts the NRL had registered). The fact that one of them subsequently gets an injury (or has an injury intensify) that rubs them out for ever doesn't change the fact that for the Rounds 1 to X, we had Watmough on the books as a registered NRL player, and we had the right to select him. As per my OP, if we had applied to de-register him prior to signing MJ....no problem....even if it wasn't fully approved at that date.

We can (potentially) get points back if we show that the some of the breaches did not occur.

 

[Djay]

So what is the best way forward for us?

Do we get cap compliant by Friday, in regards to Watmough finalising his retirement? Then once were under the cap as that seems to be the only thing stopping us now from being cap compliant.

Do the 5 step down? And fight this while not still being apart of Parramatta?

Or should they stand they're ground, stay where they are and continue to fight it?

I've said it since Greenberg announced it, the whole situation doesn't add up to me. I have seen enough to suggest the 5 have enough substantial evidence, facts or whatever to fight this and go all the way. And get some sort of reduction in punishment.

But I think in regards to the players they need to be playing for something so what is the best way forward between now and next Friday?

 

[I'm a loser baby...]

How is throwing TPAs from previous years onto the cap fair? And is this all that put us over?

 

[Barry O'Speedwagon]

So this is where it all boils down to .... every single TPA being considered illegal .... are they all? .... media reports suggest some are, but are they all?

If the NRL has overstated things with no evidence then i reckon our best bet is to prove it. Get supposedly cap compliant now via watmough n whatever - then keep pushing with proving the NRLs claim is overs and get some of the 12 back later

If this report is accurate it claims previous years TPAs are rolled into this year. What about the supposed $3M over 4 years? WTF does that come from?

Yep, and it is the nature of the TPAs that we have to challenge (if we have supporting evidence).....and obviously the simple maths of how the NRL have calculated the breach.

I don't think we'll get any joy arguing that the NRL can't roll all the previously cap-exempt TPAs into this year. I think they probably can. But, we may be able to argue for a reduction in any penalty directly relating to being over the cap in 2016, as we obviously couldn't know that the NRL were going to pull that move.

So basically, if we were under the cap for 2016 based on a) the previously assessed cap values of our player and b) the value of TPA payments in 2016 that were previously exempt, but now ruled to be included in the cap, then our points penalty should reflect a punishment for behaviour in prior years (whatever that may be).

 

[strider]

The NRL can do what they want for things there is no precedence for - its their comp, their rules.

But i reckons they have run a massive propaganda exercise along with this. Chipmunk is spot on. They have gone hard to try and scare us into just falling over.

Im not saying we've done no wrong. But they are talking massive numbers and im struggling to believe them. If we rorted $3m over 4 years they should have turfed our asses, end of story

 

[IFR33K]

Barry. We've been penalised in previous years because of breaches to the cap. What right do the NRL have to add all previous tpa's to this years cap???? What's ur opinion of this, even if they are deemed illegal.

 

[Joshuatheeel]

Wow. If the Australian got it correct, there could be a massive hole in the NRL case against us. We may not get all our points back, but there should be little problem in getting cap compliant by next Friday.

I would love to know how we cheated by $3m if all our TPAs over 3 seasons only totaled $760k. Was the rest the direct payments?

Ironically the Broncos and Roosters probably have moe than $1m in TPAs annually.

Heard / read something this morning that said Broncos have TPA of $2million

 

[Gronk]

The NRL can do what they want for things there is no precedence for - its their comp, their rules.

But i reckons they have run a massive propaganda exercise along with this. Chipmunk is spot on. They have gone hard to try and scare us into just falling over.

Im not saying we've done no wrong. But they are talking massive numbers and im struggling to believe them. If we rorted $3m over 4 years they should have turfed our asses, end of story

See I don't agree with this. It's very much an argument for another day, however for me it's a chicken and egg scenario. I don't know precisely the history and money trail of the NSWRL/ARL/NRL but I am a firm believer that the NRL are the custodians of the comp, rather than authority who through their good grace allow us to play.

 

[IFR33K]

Heard / read something this morning that said Broncos have TPA of $2million

#levelplayingfield

 

[strider]

So heres my theory of the day ...

The NRL wants our board leaders gone. And probably rightly so. We've f**ked up plenty.

They did the biggest investigation in the world. Just ask em. They found stuff. But not massive amounts of stuff.

There was alot of speculation and sources that the findings would be minimal. We know shit gets leaked. Was this correct info? Maybe

But something/someone convinced greenburg/whoever to try and go hard at the last minute. So they decided to go with something that is circumstantial and all over the place, but talk it up massively, whilst also playing mr nice guy.

I dont cop the, i didnt like what happened to the storm crap. If we are the worst cheaters ever then f**kin hammer us.

I am totally onboard with Chipmunks theory from days back.

The NRL is playing a game to get a result they want. The breach is there but not the massive thing they claim. I never trusted greenburg.

 

[Barry O'Speedwagon]

Barry. We've been penalised in previous years because of breaches to the cap. What right do the NRL have to add all previous tpa's to this years cap???? What's ur opinion of this, even if they are deemed illegal.

We have not been previously penalised for these particular (alleged) breaches. The fact that we were busted for other breaches doesn't mean we can't be penalised for these ones.

 

[hybrideel]

What i'm struggling to understand is if they have added the last 3 years TPA's into this years cap, you would assume they would also include this years. How would 4 years TPA's totalling around $1M only put us $570K over. Surely we weren't almost $500K under the cap. Those figures don't add up.
Also how bad was our management when one of the most popular and marketable teams in the league can only get $250K a year in TPA

 

[Joshuatheeel]

However, The Australian understands the NRL rolled all the club’s third parties for the past three years — $760,000 in total — into this year’s payments because they believed they were guaranteed, pushing the club over the cap.

Now if there is some truth to this, I reckon someone has been spreading bullshit!!!

Are the journo's wrong or are the NRL wrong?

There have been several articles over the last year saying eels players are out of pocket as TPA's haven't been paid. How can this be correct if the NRL are claiming we have guaranteed them?

So what is it? Come on media tell the truth ?

 

[Barry O'Speedwagon]

See I don't agree with this. It's very much an argument for another day, however for me it's a chicken and egg scenario. I don't know precisely the history and money trail of the NSWRL/ARL/NRL but I am a firm believer that the NRL are the custodians of the comp, rather than authority who through their good grace allow us to play.

Well, you may see them that way, but as far as the law is concerned they are a corporation whose members comprise the independent panel and the NRL clubs, formed for the purpose of promoting, running the game etc. Clubs are invited to play in the NRL and agree to a code of conduct in doing so, which sets out the NRL's right to penalise and in what circumstances, and clubs right to respond. To the extent that the code of conduct denies natural justice it is challengeable. But issues like 'can they penalise you in a particular season for breaches committed in another season' have zero chance of being successfully challenged.

 

[IFR33K]

What i'm struggling to understand is if they have added the last 3 years TPA's into this years cap, you would assume they would also include this years. How would 4 years TPA's totalling around $1M only put us $570K over. Surely we weren't almost $500K under the cap. Those figures don't add up.
Also how bad was our management when one of the most popular and marketable teams in the league can only get $250K a year in TPA

Management doesnt organise tpa's. :sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm:

 

[hybrideel]

We have not been previously penalised for these particular (alleged) breaches. The fact that we were busted for other breaches doesn't mean we can't be penalised for these ones.

It seems they are double dipping with the punishment though Baz. We have been over the cap 5 of the last 6 years, because they seemed to have counted last years TPA's in last years and this years figures. They can't tell us that we were over last years cap because those TPA's were dodgy and because they were dodgy we are going to add them to this years cap. Oh wait now you are over this years cap as well.

 

[Joshuatheeel]

Now I want to be playing for points next week. And I accept if we have cheated we deserved to be punished !!!

However if the NRL report doesn't add up, I would rather the club take it as far as they can and question it.

The issue is how the balance responding to it and ensuring the team plays for points.

Don't forget even getting the 12 points reduced to 10, 8 or even 6 points would make a massive difference.

 

[hybrideel]

Management doesnt organise tpa's. :sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm:

Aren't they allowed to introduce parties though? As long as they have no part in the negotiation or financial part

 

[hineyrulz]

Surely the NRL can't be that stupid???

Actually nobody answer that, now you merkins have given me some hope.