www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,865 ... 66,00.html? Melbourne Storm have been stripped of two NRL premierships and fined a total of $1.6 million after being found guilty of long-term salary cap breaches.

www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,865 ... 66,00.html? Melbourne Storm have been stripped of two NRL premierships and fined a total of $1.6 million after being found guilty of long-term salary cap breaches.

That's huge news, unbelievable.

Incredible! Is this how some teams operate over here???

*cough*Wire*cough*

Cheating barstewards!!!!

Good on the NRL, as usual, they are tough as hell. I love the fact that they have come down hard on them, regardless of the fact that the storm are the only franchise in AFL land. If this were to happen in this country and the quins, dragons or crusaders get found guilty of a similar breach, I'm sure the RFL would could down on them equally as hard



I particularly like the fact that the storm cannot accumulate any points this season.

Just wondering at what point do the players become responsible for their actions in situations like this?

The club have been hit hard and will have to pay the fine as well as paying back prize money. The cheating scum that run the club are obviously people we do not need running clubs in our game, either over here or in Oz. But surely at some point individual players should be identified and charged with breaching the slary cap themselves and forced to pay back any additional monies they have made.

Am I alone in thinking that the players are equally responsible for letting down the fans of the game?

Blooming heck!

Why should the players pay back the money. There not in charge of getting the team to stay under Salary cap are they?

If players knew they were getting payments outside the cap, then fair enough. But they don't know what all their team-mates are getting so, that isn't necessarily the case. Though the 'secret letters' sounds dodgy - surely a disgruntled player was bound to blow the lid eventually. Doubt they'd recover cash - but Slater, Inglis, our own Clint Newton are no longer NRL champions.

Hmmmmmmmm

Just before the new Melbourne s14 side start their recruitment, very bad news.

Because the strom were running two accounting files, one official and one top secret. This suggests that the players would not have been getting 1 pay check a month, but two.

The amount that the storm have been breaching the cap by, I would find it very difficult to believe that the players didn't realise what was happening, so were effectivly happy to take dodgy payments. This is obviously only my opinion, but if that were the case then they players are equally at fault. They in charge of getting the team under the salary cap, but they are expected to play by the rules.

If a player is knowingly taking back handers which is in breach of the slary cap then they should also be punished accordingly imo.

sportal.co.nz/league-news-displa ... ment-89913

sportal.co.nz/league-news-displa ... ment-89913

Before we all start pulling our puds and saying *cough* wire *cough*saints *cough* rovers. etc

Lets not forget our TWO salary cap breaches

I always wondered how they managed it, guess we know now.

Dont ever say the NRL go soft on cheats I say.
What will be interesting is how the players continue now they have no points to play for. Just turn up and sit on pitch?

cue Justin making a call or too today wondering if they have a decent #6 available.

Thats not volcanic ash over Warrington, thats paper ash from empty diesel drums.

I'm sure he's heard of Brett Finch.

Far be it for me to defend you lot, but apart from Wigan's deliberate manipulation I think all the others have been minor accounting mishaps haven't they, certainly nothing on this scale. The RFL should have done similar with Wigan, but never had the balls.

and as for the *cough* Rovers dig, you need to make your minds up. If we are so much in the $hit financially, where the hell would we get the money to make secret payments and have a second set of accounts

Bellamys lying his t1tties off if he reckons he didnt know anything about it

Oh come on, we already have I'anson. I said a decent #6.

The top players won't come to the uk, there's not enough money for them.

Like a say the real problem could be them pushed out to union or afl.

This could love the nrl in victoria.

Melbourne is getting its own super14 team next season, which could be an issue, as the RU would love to attract the city's biggest stars.

its a big blow to RL in Melbourne they have just opened their new stadium, which would have boosted crowds as its purpose built for RL/Football.

lets hope some of their players decide they'd like to come shopping on Hessle Road

With all the extra cash they have been given, the Poundshop is hardly an attraction is it