Schubert steps up GI probe as rejected deals revealed
Roy Masters
December 11, 2010
NRL salary cap auditor Ian Schubert has called on player managers acting for Greg Inglis to hand over any files pertaining to third-party deals arranged for the superstar in an attempt to establish a timeline between offers from the Broncos and Rabbitohs and sponsorship agreements made.
Inglis's long-term agent, Allan Gainey, is on leave and has asked veteran manager Wayne Beavis to negotiate with the NRL. Schubert has intensified his investigation at a time Souths and Beavis suspect he will delay his decision until the new year, but it may also rebound on the Broncos, who allowed Inglis to renege on an agreement to play in Brisbane.
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When Mark Gasnier scored a try during the NRL semi-final series, the Broncos' then chief executive, Bruno Cullen, sent a text message to Schubert which read: ''Good to see the salary cap working.''
It was a sarcastic reference to St George Illawarra signing Gasnier on a heavily back-loaded contract where the international centre was entered into the Dragons' 2010 cap for only $50,000.
Now, it appears the Broncos have been having their own problems fitting an international quality centre into their cap. Cullen may have Inglis to renege on the deal because his signing would have exceeded their cap for next year.
The NRL has revealed it rejected two third-party deals the Broncos hoped to register for Inglis outside their salary cap. One was a deal with Channel Nine, believed to be about $50,000 a year for three years. Another was an arrangement with the Queensland Former Origin Greats where Inglis would act as an ambassador, travelling to aboriginal communities and be paid from monies provided by the federal government to promote indigenous employment.
Schubert ruled that both contracts were negotiated at the time the Broncos lured Inglis from Melbourne to Brisbane. An NRL spokesman said: ''Deals with Channel Nine and FOGs were both submitted by the Broncos, who were told they would both go in the cap as they performed part of the negotiation. Ultimately, the Broncos agreed with that.''
But then came the issue of Inglis's $130,000 legal bill for defending himself against a charge he assaulted partner Sally Robinson. The Storm's refusal to release Inglis to Brisbane while Inglis's legal fees would be included in their cap, or the possibility the Broncos may have to bear some of it in their cap allowed Souths to exploit the confusion and sneak in with an offer.
There may have been further reviews by Schubert of Inglis's other third-party deals with Brisbane - leading to them also being salary-cap assessable - but the wrangle over legal fees ended the arrangement.
It has also transpired that the Titans had potential third-party agreements with Inglis deemed salary-cap assessable when the Gold Coast club entered the race to sign him. The Titans never considered themselves serious suitors for Inglis because they believed he had already committed to Brisbane.
NRL chief executive David Gallop points out four clubs have now been treated equally regarding the salary cap - the Storm, who were forced to release Inglis after serious cap breaches were exposed; the Broncos and Titans; and now Souths, who are trying to have four third-party deals registered outside the salary cap. Nor has the issue of Inglis's legal bills been resolved by any club.
Gallop also argues Gasnier's original exit from the NRL to play rugby union in France was driven by the salary cap. ''He left because of his frustration third-party agreements could not be guaranteed by the club because they would have led to cap problems for the Dragons,'' he said.
Nor did the NRL rubber-stamp Gasnier's new contract without scrutiny. ''The NRL refused to accept the original submission of the Dragons and forced the figure up in terms of [their] cap for the 10 games Gasnier was available in 2010,'' he said.
The salary cap has become the code's biggest challenge as the NRL attempts to balance the need for new revenue streams from business against a commitment to equalise the player payments bill across the 16 clubs. Souths had been vocal supporters of the cap until they confronted problems fitting Inglis under the mandated salary ceiling. They were warned not to announce his signing until all contracts had been ratified.
Perhaps Souths owner Russell Crowe's ranting over his failure to have Inglis's contract registered is a clever strategy by the Academy Award-winning actor to position the NRL as a Grinch at Christmas.
