Storm salary cap scandal thread

[RufusRex]

they won them .. they got the memories .. they have to live the rest of their lives branded as cheats

 

[m0nty]

It's a different kettle of fish...those players would still play in State of Origin, regardless of what club they are at.

Question: if a player or players from the Storm were found out to have been paid above the cap out of the second set of books, shouldn't they be barred from all rep footy for at least this year, if not future years?

 

[Dragonstyle]

kick these scum out of the comp, thats what they deserve the cheating bastards.I hope that fat sh*t waldron gets jail time

 

[Rogue.9]

Do the players have to give back there Premiership rings?

 

[Bman26]

They didn't just cheat the NRL. They didn't just cheat the LAW. They cheated US.

My heart is broken, my memories are tarnished and i am beside myself.

x2

 

[Nightward]

Whilst there may be a sense of vindication for those who have in the past labeled the Storm cheats, seeing this happen is not overly funny.

The damage done here is immense; as others have said, all the hard work in Melbourne has been jeopardised by the scam that was run.

Removal of credit for past Premierships and Minor Premierships was also a startling step. I would not say unwarranted, given the length of time this has been going on, but nonetheless something I did not see coming.

Gods help any other club caught cheating the salary cap this year, or the next. The standard has been set, and they will be thrown to the wolves.

If there is any positive to come out of this, it was Gallop (or at least the NRL board) showing some initiative. One can only hope that he goes on with it and takes the necessary- if difficult- changes needed to guide the game to greater heights in the future.

Finally, despite what the nay-sayers are crowing over in regards to News Limited, I suggest you watch the media conference again. The CEO they had beside Gallop was obviously furious with and sickened by the situation; whilst someone in that organisation may have known about it, he clearly did not- and as one of the single largest and most powerful corporations on the planet, they could very easily have hidden the problem. They didn't.

 

[Rogue.9]

Boot them out until 2011 and have a bye.

The only problem is Foxtel & 9 have paid for a certain number of games, would the NRL & the clubs have to give them a partial refund?

 

[BDH]

All punishments from previous seasons aside; the idea to not allow Storm to compete this season is ridiculous.

They could either;
1. Audit the Storm and allow them to identify $700,000 worth of players to release immediately and start on zero points for 2010 effective round 8.

2. Have the team sit out the whole of 2010 (which runs the risk of off-field behavior issues or being sniped ny European clubs/ Union)

I know that if I was an NRL coach, I would play my Under 20s team when we vs the Storm. Why risk an injury for a guaranteed win?

Fines, stripped premierships, CRIMINAL CHARGES, etc, for previous seasons, but to have them playing, for nothing, in ludicrous.

 

[mrblue]

It's debatable whether you would've even made the finals without Brett Finch. The storm were flat before he arrived (from Parra) so that's measurable advantage right there. Then you would have to take into account the players Parra shed too Mark Riddell, Tony Williams, Chad Robinson and Daniel Wagon. Obviously being cheats it doesn't bother you. Just like grapple tackles and choke holds aren't giving you guys an unfair advantage.

 

[Sans Souci Sainter]

Filthy, cheating, disgrace of a club.

Always has been.

And Brian Waldron wanted to press charges against Nathan Brown for speaking plainly and openly about their other cheating tendencies last year.

The Storm are the same turds they've always been.

 

[Rovelli]

If a SOO rep is discovered, then it could spill over into the Courts, and I guess they might decide it.

Surely the player(s) involved would've known about it, and they would also be in deep trouble

 

[BDH]

As long as the players have contracts with the club they have to honour those contracts.... So making them shed players for THIS year is not really an option. Somehow they'll have to shed players to get under the cap for next season. I can't see this situation being like with the Bulldogs where they'll be willing to take pay cuts. I bet certain players will be disgusted with what happens and leave just to not be associated with a disgraced club.

Not if it was a mutual agreement to terminate the contract. It wouldn't be the first time an NRL player's contract was broken.

 

[jc155776]

Ato

 

[Eelectrica]

They didn't just cheat the NRL. They didn't just cheat the LAW. They cheated US.

My heart is broken, my memories are tarnished and i am beside myself.

Shame Wally Waldron didn't think of fans like yourself before setting things in place.
We're all fans and I think we'd all prefer to lose fairly than win by cheating. I know I'd prefer a fair loss over a hollow victory anyday.

 

[Sans Souci Sainter]

So no more calls that Gallop is hopeless/has no balls/is a News Limited puppet?

The guy has flexed some muscle. Good on him.

I heard him thank the Melbourne Storm twice in that press conference.

He thanked them for coming forward with the information.

Then he thanked them for accepting the penalty.

Real harsh.

 

[Marshall_magic]

All punishments from previous seasons aside; the idea to not allow Storm to compete this season is ridiculous.

They could either;
1. Audit the Storm and allow them to identify $700,000 worth of players to release immediately and start on zero points for 2010 effective round 8.

2. Have the team sit out the whole of 2010 (which runs the risk of off-field behavior issues or being sniped ny European clubs/ Union)

I know that if I was an NRL coach, I would play my Under 20s team when we vs the Storm. Why risk an injury for a guaranteed win?

Fines, stripped premierships, CRIMINAL CHARGES, etc, for previous seasons, but to have them playing, for nothing, in ludicrous.

but you aren't guaranteed a win, you could lose that game and get nothing.

Problem with booting the Storm and giving a bye for the rest of the year is, it's not fair on the teams who played and lost to them. Also, some teams play them twice (4 points guaranteed) while others only play them once (2 point's guaranteed).

 

[m0nty]

I heard him thank the Melbourne Storm twice in that press conference.

He thanked them for coming forward with the information.

Then he thanked them for accepting the penalty.

Real harsh.

You are a merkin.

 

[bmwpower]

they should be on -10 points but what ever they win from now on should still count. that is a fair enough punishment. there is no point in them turning up to games anymore. and there fans will not turn up to watch them play. the nrl was abit harsh i reckon

 

[broncos70]

why not make 700k worth of salary cap sit out every week? or alter their contracts so they get less money for the rest of the year

 

[CycloneSteve]

But from this point on, any team who plays the Storm is playing against a "tainted" team, with players who should not be in the club. Any team who loses against this tainted team would have a right to be upset as they have been ripped 2 competition points because their opposition were basically stacked. Not fair. I am all for making Melbourne PLAY their remaining games but they forfeit them, meaning their opposition will receive the two points anyway.