NRL denies rumour suggesting players and managers involved in match-fixing
By staff writers
September 15, 2010
Updated: The NRL has been rocked by a fresh report that high-profile players, player managers and underworld figures have been involved in match-fixing.
Sydney radio station Triple M made the allegation on Wednesday morning, reporting that players earning $200,000, $300,000 and $400,000 were involved in match-fixing.
Triple M Grill Team panellist Mark Geyer, a former rugby league star, said he thought matches alleged to have been fixed did look suspect.
"After hearing the rumours from different sources, I have gone back and looked at the games in question," said Geyer, who did not reveal the matches alleged to have been fixed.
"It makes me have some doubt on a few of the things I am getting spoken to about.
"I watched the games closely and
that put doubt in my mind.
"Whether I am just looking for that, I dont know, because of what I heard.
Fellow Triple M Grill Team panellist Stuart MacGill, a former Test cricket player, said: "If there is an issue here, we've been told that the NRL wont act on this until after the finals series so that they dont detract from the great football that were all anticipating over the coming weeks."
NRL communications officer John Brady contacted Triple M to deny the allegation, stressing the organisation "wasn't aware of any such claim".
Geyer said: "If the NRL did know about it, they would have named names by now
because theyd want these bastards out of the game quick smart."
The allegation sees more murky headlines for the NRL, following a police investigation into unusual betting trends in the round-24 match between North Queensland Cowboys and Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in Townsville.
Punters stood to win more than $250,000 if the Cowboys opened the scoring with a penalty goal - a market that TAB says generates very little activity.
Bulldogs prop Ryan Tandy was penalised in front of his side's posts within the first two minutes of the match, but the Cowboys opted to take a quick tap.
Tandy denies any wrongdoing.
Reports last week suggested that as many as six matches could be investigated by a police strike force, but NRL officials maintain the Townsville match is the league's only concern to date.
NRL chief executive David Gallop said in reponse to the reports last week that players involved in the alleged betting scandal could each face a life ban if they were found guilty.
The match-fixing claims come towards the end of a season featuring the biggest scandal in the history of the NRL, with Melbourne Storm stripped of two premierships after being found guilty by the NRL of massive and widespread salary-cap rorts
