Melbourne must still be cheating the cap

[Jason Maher]

Greatest team ever? I see no Skardon or Vowles on the team sheet...

 

[rabbitohs95]

It's just 4 rounds into the season and the greatest rugby league team to play the game (Melbourne) have already established themselves as the clear leaders of the competition. They're destroying any team who dares to cross their path.

However as we all know such success and stellar performances can only be due to one thing and one thing only... Cheating the cap.

I mean how else could they be on top of the competition ladder? Or maybe, just maybe all the success that the greatest rugby league team to play the game experienced during 06-09 was a result of a team with a superior culture and greater dedication to their jobs than the rest of the teams in the comp.

In 2011 it was proven that no matter what roster Melbourne have they'll still top the comp, as in that noteworthy year they were run away minor premiers with a team completely gutted the year before. A team made up of rejects and players brought out of retirement.

So now on behalf of the greatest rugby league team to ever play the game, I will now be accepting apologies from those of you who wrongfully discredited Melbourne's achievements of 06-09 due to their "cheating". I hope now that those which chose not to apologise last year have seen the errors of your ways after 2011.

That would just be the roosters i believe....

 

[bottle]

Had to ask my missus who were the players I didn't recognise in the Storm's romp over the Roosters . . . I must take more notice of the newcomers in the game and not just the coach

I hear Alzheimers is irreversible. Shame that.

 

[bottle]

Déjà vu

All over again!

 

[1 Eyed TEZZA]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6DiRKooIZQ

 

[DoggiesBroke]

 

[POPEYE]

I hear Alzheimers is irreversible. Shame that.

Never mind, I won't let them pick on you without a fight

 

[POPEYE]

Lucky Bruno, Kenny or Nick weren't CEO . . . there'd be nothing to talk about

 

[LESStar58]

Had to ask my missus who were the players I didn't recognise in the Storm's romp over the Roosters . . . I must take more notice of the newcomers in the game and not just the coach

I am a HUGE fan of Sisoa (spelling?) Vave. He's like the second coming of Jeff Lima and Ben Cross combined.

And while I was VERY skeptical at first I am slowly becoming a Ryles fan. He made some really good metres and ran straight and hard.

 

[StormHi]

Yeah Ryles has been impressive and Vave has been a revelation Relly happy with how the Storm is goin I just hope we don't pop our load to soon. Ps guys please don't throw the real storm fans in the same sinking boat as Butters and joshy we all deffinately do not share their outlandish obsessive slightly geniused views.

 

[wibble]

I am a HUGE fan of Sisoa (spelling?) Vave. He's like the second coming of Jeff Lima and Ben Cross combined.

And while I was VERY skeptical at first I am slowly becoming a Ryles fan. He made some really good metres and ran straight and hard.

Vave is a beast. It was a shame to lose him, but forwards were not and are not a concern for us, so it made sense for him to try in Melbourne.

The entire point of this thread is either trolling to bait everyone (well done, so hard to rile everyone up over one of the most damaging incidents in the history of the game) or it shows that some Storm fans just don't (and apparently never will) get it.

The Storm players were not going to be particularly better or worse in any given season based on the money they were earning. We could just pay all the current Eels players $100000 more each, but the team won't be instantly better next week.

But the players the Storm had may not have been there if the Storm didn't cheat the cap. They may have agreed to stay for less, but it really seems likely that Cronk at least would have taken the money elsewhere if he couldn't get it at the Storm, as he seems to be close to doing now. In fact, if they were willing to stay for less, there would be no need to risk severe sanctions by cheating the cap. So it seems that the Storm team that played in 06-09 would not have been the same if they had not cheated. We will never know how a non cheating Storm team in that era would have gone, but even with an illegally assembled team, other teams were at least competitive with them.

As to their current and 2011 form- they are doing well, and Slater, Cronk and Smith are as good to watch (at least for their football prowess) as any trio of stars I've ever seen. They have shown that a well drilled team of good first graders (which Melbourne have had for years) plus a few absolute super stars (Slater and Smith are as good as any ever in their positions) can do very well. But even now, we can't know where the stars they currently have would have played if they hadn't been kept together with illegally high salaries. That is why there is still a taint around this current team, and there will be until all their players who were involved in the rorting years have moved on.

I know there is nothing more current Storm fans, officials and players can do but their best, and they deserve a chance to be judged and admired on their merits. But any premierships they may win for a while will still, in my opinion and that of many others, be partly helped from their acts of cheating. I feel the same about the Dogs of the early 2000s, and it is a shame that really 10 or more years (the majority) of the history of the NRL have been potentially affected by appalling cheating (and we will never know to what extent the competition has been affected).

It would be nice if the Titans buy Cronk and then current Melbourne players and coaching can be more fairly judged by their current abilities, rather than on cheating. It seems some of the guys Bellamy buys that other clubs let go, like Vave, are doing very well. Hopefully we can soon start admiring that sort of coaching and put the cheating years behind us.

 

[southwalesrabbitoh]

The Storm on paper are not 40 points better than the Roosters. As I've said before it's down to culture, team spirit, coaching, and Cameron Smith helps.

 

[Garts]

Was this the thread that mong Buetters started last season? How did that turn out for you?

 

[kia ora storm]

I am a HUGE fan of Sisoa (spelling?) Vave. He's like the second coming of Jeff Lima and Ben Cross combined.

And while I was VERY skeptical at first I am slowly becoming a Ryles fan. He made some really good metres and ran straight and hard.

Ryles is going well...got good size as well.

Vave is fitting in well to the Storm style but would love Tohu Harris to get a shot at some stage as well.

 

[STORM.99/07]

This is the last year before it all comes crashing down.

We're going to take your halfback.

Smith and Slater won't win it all by themselves.

South Sydney Storm is what you will be called.you are only Storm wannabes

 

[grouch]

 

[StormHi]

Lol at bunnies man wanting to ruin another good halfback by recruiting him to lol@$ouff$

about 70% confident storm wil keep him.

 

[Butters]

Ps guys please don't throw the real storm fans in the same sinking boat as Butters and joshy we all deffinately do not share their outlandish obsessive slightly geniused views.

You aren't a real storm fan.

 

[--Storm--]

I had $100 on Storm to keep Rooster's scoreless & they let in a scrappy Try after 73 minute's been pissed off all arvo now 31-1 odd's, could have did with $3100

 

[Miller was a legend]

You aren't a real storm fan.

From what I have seen of his posts, you have no right to suggest that at all. In fact I would suggest he is both a passionate storm fan and pretty balanced in his views on most things. His stoush with doggies bro was epic.