I'd had a feeling, probably for the last year, that the Storm were over the cap. I couldn't believe that they could keep the team together they had and the players were in it purely because they loved the place that much or were such a tight group.
There are a few Storm fans who were acting quite smug about the "succcess" of their team. To them I say suck s**t. Who's laughing now? It also makes me smile knowing people like Smith, Slater and Big Game miss out on finals footy because of this. To the rest of you Storm fans out there, f**k. I won't say I know how this must feel because I don't. Sitting here even now, the whole thing still seems like a bad joke and I am waiting for everyone in the media to come out and say "Ha! Fooled you all!"
I am VERY disappointed in the people responsible for this rort. They were given the responsibility of growing the Storm brand in AFL heartland, and they chose selfish ambition over their duty of making sure the Storm were growing the seed in the most hostile, anti- Rugby League environment in the world. Their actions have tarnished the club and, more importantly, the image of the game. OUR game. It's not just Storm fans, but fans of Rugby League and who want to see the game grow, who should feel cheated by this.
We MUST keep a team in Melbourne, whether it be the Storm or a new entity. If the NRL packs up and leaves, then we might as well just become that competition that ceases to have any presence outside of NSW, Qld and the ACT.
