Nemesis
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It seems the Storm have salary cap issues and are looking to unload some players.
Its surprising we haven't been linked with any of them, as we normally are. http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,24941149-23214,00.html
Salary cap sees Melbourne Storm forced to let more players go
By Dan Koch
January 21, 2009 MELBOURNE football manager Frank Ponissi has failed to deny his club has been desperately trying to off-load at least two more members of its senior squad in a bid to ease pressure on its salary cap for the 2009 season.
Storm officials have contacted rival clubs over the off-season, including North Queensland, Wests Tigers, Brisbane and St George Illawarra, to sound out their interest in picking up the contracts of fringe prop Scott Anderson and winger Steve Turner.
Like so many champion teams before them, Melbourne has become a victim of its own success, with coach Craig Bellamy's starting 17 this year bearing little resemblance to the one which powered to the 2007 premiership.
While no one could argue the success of the salary cap as a competition-equalising tool, many within the game have questioned whether penalising a club for excellence flies in the face of the most basic principles of professional sport.
Having pieced together and developed his squad into the competition's most dominant force over the past three years, Bellamy has been forced to watch on helplessly as his squad was torn apart.
With little compensation or reward for clubs that invest in junior development, securing the long-term futures of skipper Cameron Smith, half-back Cooper Cronk, full-back Billy Slater and five-eighth Greg Inglis has meant letting go a host of others including Israel Folau, Matt King, Antonio Kaufusi, Jeremy Smith, Michael Crocker and Ben Cross.
But it would appear Melbourne remains fearful of its current predicament, with Ponissi going as far as admitting the club was dealing with "some issues" regarding the salary cap.
"I am not going to be drawn into speculation about individual players and their respective contract situations," Ponissi said. "I will say that like a lot of clubs in the NRL, we are dealing with salary cap pressure.
"There is always pressure from the salary cap, particularly at this time of the year, when you are finalising your squads. We are not exempt from that."
When asked directly whether Melbourne would find itself in breach of the cap if the club was audited today, Ponissi replied, "No. Not at the moment."
Should nothing change in the coming days, that assertion looks set to be put to the most ruthless examination, with NRL auditor Ian Schubert confirming he would run a fine toothcomb over the Storm's books within the next two weeks.
"We do all 16 clubs between November and March," Schubert said.
The Storm has incurred several fines over the past seven seasons for minor breaches of the cap.
The Warriors, meanwhile, have scheduled a board meeting for Monday to discuss the future of Test halfback Nathan Fien.
Fien, 29, has requested a release from the final year of his deal with the Warriors to take a lucrative three-year contract with English Super League club Huddersfield.
Midway through last season Fien was advised he would not be offered a contract extension.
He then starred for the Warriors in their charge through the finals and played a pivotal role for New Zealand in its dramatic World Cup victory over Australia.
After initially targeting Fien, Huddersfield instead opted for talented but troubled former Raider Todd Carney. But, when Carney was last week denied a UK visa, new Giants coach Nathan Brown went back to Fien
Its surprising we haven't been linked with any of them, as we normally are. http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,24941149-23214,00.html
Salary cap sees Melbourne Storm forced to let more players go
By Dan Koch
January 21, 2009 MELBOURNE football manager Frank Ponissi has failed to deny his club has been desperately trying to off-load at least two more members of its senior squad in a bid to ease pressure on its salary cap for the 2009 season.
Storm officials have contacted rival clubs over the off-season, including North Queensland, Wests Tigers, Brisbane and St George Illawarra, to sound out their interest in picking up the contracts of fringe prop Scott Anderson and winger Steve Turner.
Like so many champion teams before them, Melbourne has become a victim of its own success, with coach Craig Bellamy's starting 17 this year bearing little resemblance to the one which powered to the 2007 premiership.
While no one could argue the success of the salary cap as a competition-equalising tool, many within the game have questioned whether penalising a club for excellence flies in the face of the most basic principles of professional sport.
Having pieced together and developed his squad into the competition's most dominant force over the past three years, Bellamy has been forced to watch on helplessly as his squad was torn apart.
With little compensation or reward for clubs that invest in junior development, securing the long-term futures of skipper Cameron Smith, half-back Cooper Cronk, full-back Billy Slater and five-eighth Greg Inglis has meant letting go a host of others including Israel Folau, Matt King, Antonio Kaufusi, Jeremy Smith, Michael Crocker and Ben Cross.
But it would appear Melbourne remains fearful of its current predicament, with Ponissi going as far as admitting the club was dealing with "some issues" regarding the salary cap.
"I am not going to be drawn into speculation about individual players and their respective contract situations," Ponissi said. "I will say that like a lot of clubs in the NRL, we are dealing with salary cap pressure.
"There is always pressure from the salary cap, particularly at this time of the year, when you are finalising your squads. We are not exempt from that."
When asked directly whether Melbourne would find itself in breach of the cap if the club was audited today, Ponissi replied, "No. Not at the moment."
Should nothing change in the coming days, that assertion looks set to be put to the most ruthless examination, with NRL auditor Ian Schubert confirming he would run a fine toothcomb over the Storm's books within the next two weeks.
"We do all 16 clubs between November and March," Schubert said.
The Storm has incurred several fines over the past seven seasons for minor breaches of the cap.
The Warriors, meanwhile, have scheduled a board meeting for Monday to discuss the future of Test halfback Nathan Fien.
Fien, 29, has requested a release from the final year of his deal with the Warriors to take a lucrative three-year contract with English Super League club Huddersfield.
Midway through last season Fien was advised he would not be offered a contract extension.
He then starred for the Warriors in their charge through the finals and played a pivotal role for New Zealand in its dramatic World Cup victory over Australia.
After initially targeting Fien, Huddersfield instead opted for talented but troubled former Raider Todd Carney. But, when Carney was last week denied a UK visa, new Giants coach Nathan Brown went back to Fien
