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Storm rorting the cap before 2006 - the Robbie Kearns story

Loudstrat

Loudstrat

Coach
Messages
15,224
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...us-to-stay-on-in-melbourne-20100427-tq4a.html

Revealed: murky tale of Kearns's 'bonus' to stay on in Melbourne

TOM REILLY AND ANDREW RULE

April 28, 2010


ROBBIE KEARNS is one of rugby league's unaligned heroes. Although it was as Melbourne Storm's skipper that he became famous, he was admired not only in that club and that code but by others. He still is.
The brave forward was one of the Storm's foundation players and a star for most of his 14 seasons. He was the sort of player other clubs coveted - and would pay whatever it took to get. Which meant that Storm had to match such offers to keep him.
By 2005 Kearns's battered body was telling him his time at the elite level was short. But he was still worth good money in a lesser club, which was why the Leeds league club made him an offer to play in England in 2006.
Such offers are the golden handshakes the game affords its greats: easy paydays after the bruising championship bouts.
But Kearns did not go to Leeds. Instead, the story went at the time, he decided to take ''an administrative job'' with the Storm.
But the story of Kearns's retirement plan is a little more murky - and has come to light because of scrutiny following the NRL's decision last week to make an example of the Storm with draconian punishment for salary cap rorts. It is believed that Kearns had to refuse the English offer because he had been promised about $360,000 as a delayed ''backend'' bonus as a sneaky way to top up his legitimate player salary. It was an offer he could not refuse from an organisation that some insiders describe as ''the family''.
The catch was that Kearns had to stay in Melbourne and turn up nine to five for three years to get his money in weekly pay packets.
In Brian Waldron's first year as Storm's chief executive, one of the jobs he inherited was disguising the Kearns kiss-off as a seemingly legitimate staff appointment.
The News Ltd spokesman Greg Baxter said Mr Waldron had serious questions to answer over his running of the Storm and any allegations he made should be treated with caution.
''As far as we can tell there's no substance to any of the things Mr Waldron has alleged,'' he said.
Kearns said last night he could not recall exactly ''when the deal was done for me to move from the playing staff and take on my ambassadorial role''.
Kearns was hardly an accomplished computer operator and was unused to office work, but was on the books as ''club ambassador'' at around $120,000 a year.
That salary made him the highest paid staff member at the club apart from coaches, players or executives, a fact that caused friction with some workers. The former captain was not expected to do much at first - which made it all the more remarkable that he became a valued member of staff who is still at the club today.
Mr Waldron told friends the story of the day he sat down with the newly retired Kearns and asked: ''So what are we going to do with you?'' and Kearns replied innocently that he had always wanted to be ''a fireman''.
There was no use for firemen at the club at the time. But that might have changed since lightning struck and set it alight six days ago.
Click to expand...

And News had to pay this club $13 million per year? FMD......

Sorry Lesstar, Kia Ora, Stormbati and the other ecent Storm fans of this forum. I hope the fog clears soon and this will pass for you.

However, this rorting just gets deeper. There is far more to this iceberg it seems.
 
S

Storming Norman

Juniors
Messages
64
My God, Misty.

Post one side of the story. Numbnuts.


Kearns defends his 'ambassador' job at Storm

WILL BRODIE

April 28, 2010 - 12:37PM
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Melbourne Storm great Robbie Kearns has defended the legitimacy of his employment as a ‘club ambassador’ for the strife-torn NRL club.

"I’m very disappointed my name is being dragged through all of this. I feel I am an innocent bystander in all of it."

"Over that time since I have retired I have worked for the club possibly six or seven days a week for the entire five years, and I feel like I am paid accordingly," Kearns said on SEN radio this morning.

It was reported this morning that Kearns was paid $360,000 to be an ‘office boy’, which the former Storm captain refuted

"I won’t speculate on what I got paid but it wasn’t that, it definitely wasn’t that."

Kearns detailed his activities at Storm, including specialist coaching, helping the development of rugby league in Victoria, overseeing a boy’s promotional program, and hosting a corporate lounge on matchdays.

"I’m usually working seven days a week for the organisation. I have worked tirelessly for the Melbourne Storm and for anyone to come out and say I’m not playing a role in the organisation, well I’d like them to come out and spend some time with me.

"I live and breathe the Melbourne Storm It would be very different if I was living in Sydney or living on the Gold Coast and I was still being paid an amount of money to be a club ambassador.

"I feel I’ve earnt my money, my wage, my salary."

Kearns denied having any knowledge of salary cap breaches in his eight years as a Storm player and five years as its ambassador.

He said he still felt for former Club CEO Brian Waldron, implicated as the architect of salary cap cheating at Melbourne Storm, even if Waldron was behind the allegations about Kearns’ role.

"I most probably feel for Brian, that’s my personality, even though I’m very angry at the moment, if the investigation comes out that Brian was the man behind it all… the damage he’s done to my club and the club I love.

"I’m feeling for him, I’m feeling for a lot of… innocent people in this whole drama, and I’m one of them by the sounds of it."
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/kearns-defends-his-ambassador-job-at-storm-20100428-tr8k.html


I know for a .! seeing working with the Storm. The $360,000 per year is a gross exaggeration because he would be paid more than most of the Senior management team!!.
 
Loudstrat

Loudstrat

Coach
Messages
15,224
I posted what was published, numbnuts. Same as you. so what was he, an underpaid mercenary, or an over paid git? We know what the majority of people on the Storm books are.....
 
S

simostorm

Bench
Messages
4,511
Kearns was a great player.. Carried himself so well on and off the field..
Such a shame that the media would write this rubbish article about him.
 
Didgi

Didgi

Moderator
Messages
17,260
I don't believe either of those articles.

But of course all the players knew exactly what they were getting, so all should go directly to hell :roll: it was clearly the players, not the high flying admins :roll:
 
S

Storming Norman

Juniors
Messages
64
Loudstrat said:
I posted what was published, numbnuts. Same as you. so what was he, an underpaid mercenary, or an over paid git? We know what the majority of people on the Storm books are.....
Click to expand...


Yes, We get a free boat and Harvey Norman Vouchers too. pfft.


Kearns is not a unpaid mercenary because he work with me, and he is not a "over paid git" as you called him. Kearns as he said is there sometime 5 to 6 days per week.

On game day, He is in the Kearns Lounge chatting to people who have $95(from what i last remember) a game chatting to corpoarate and supporter who want to fork out the money to the club.
 
Loudstrat

Loudstrat

Coach
Messages
15,224
Storming Norman said:
Yes, We get a free boat and Harvey Norman Vouchers too. pfft.


Kearns is not a unpaid mercenary because he work with me, and he is not a "over paid git" as you called him. Kearns as he said is there sometime 5 to 6 days per week.

On game day, He is in the Kearns Lounge chatting to people who have $95(from what i last remember) a game chatting to corpoarate and supporter who want to fork out the money to the club.
Click to expand...
Price, Cronin, Sterlo, Kenny, Zip will yack to you for free. Not just whack a fee on to keep the kids and poor fans away. In fact, just about all the immortals would too. I can remember having a good old yack to Frank Hyde once - he could have been just another old bloke keen for a chat. That memory will last me until the day I drop off the perch - and it didn't cost me a cent. And he wasn't a wanker either - he was genuinely pleased that I showed interest in him.

No wonder your club is a friggin mess - probably charge a licensing fee for saying the word "Smith"
 
Loudstrat

Loudstrat

Coach
Messages
15,224
What - ya gunna charge Manu's 200m luxury yacht to my name?

He can play for Parra and earn a decent honest living. I'll even throw in my tinnie.
 
Loudstrat

Loudstrat

Coach
Messages
15,224
Your the ones that need to be BAILED OUT by News Ltd, not us.

Our comps are legit mate!

How much does Kearns charge for you to say "Good Morning, Robbie"? Do you run your credit card down his bum crack? Or does he direct debit?
 
Loudstrat

Loudstrat

Coach
Messages
15,224
BTW - "Down among the dead men" is more appropriate - about a large and overhyped boat sinking. The opening line is prophetic - "It was cold, a dark and STORMy night"

And the captain of the Titanic's name was Smith, wasn't it?
 
Brutus

Brutus

Referee
Messages
26,459
Loudstrat said:
BTW - "Down among the dead men" is more appropriate - about a large and overhyped boat sinking. The opening line is prophetic - "It was cold, a dark and STORMy night"

And the captain of the Titanic's name was Smith, wasn't it?
Click to expand...

I always picked you as a Vanda and Young fan.
 
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