MELBOURNE STORM SALARY CAP RORTS

[wests4ever]

I have just read that the mob of low-life scum have actually cheated the cap by $3.2million over the past 5 years.
I hope to God the NRL punish them plenty more by "telling them" they have to work within a drastically reduced cap for the next 5 years until their illegal,disgraceful & arrogant cheating is repaid.
Their supporters "can suffer" as many other teams supporters have suffered over this period without success on the field because our clubs have played by the laws of the game.
There has to be more punishment metered out to this mob and if the players suffer well that's too bad.
If they are innocent they had the chance to tell the truth to the Auditors but they arrogantly "stayed together
like the image the day or so after this disgrace surfaced of "the storm players & coach United" and walking & standing tall defying the truth & the laws of the game as they met with their naive & arrogant supporters in Melbourne at their club ground.
What a bunch of "Sanctimonious Fktards & Hypocrite's" who make all other salary cap rorters & money cheats look like "Goldie-Locks & the 3 bears".
Gallop & the NRL must smash this mob= they must understand the meaning of POWER and THE SPIRIT OF PLAYING PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL & Living by the "rules of society" - ALL THE RULES".

 

[Tiger_Watto]

The NRL will be reeling if the Storm Directors actually win their legal action…

2010 may go down as the year that never was...

Unfortunately, there is no solution to Cap Rorting, except expulsion. And we know the NRL won't attempt that again...

 

[ron_burgandy]

i can think of a pretty simple solution…if they have cheated the cap this year by 1.5 million then they have 1.5 million less to buy talent with for 2011....hence they play with a 2.8 million salary cap for next year as opposed to the 4.3 million the other teams get to use

 

[TIGER]

i can think of a pretty simple solution…if they have cheated the cap this year by 1.5 million then they have 1.5 million less to buy talent with for 2011....hence they play with a 2.8 million salary cap for next year as opposed to the 4.3 million the other teams get to use

They'll rort that to.

 

[Guest]

Thew announcement isn't far away…

Melbourne Storm rort report to shock nation: John Hartigan

* Dean Ritchie
* From: The Daily Telegraph
* July 15, 2010 12:00AM

THE Melbourne Storm's dossier of salary cap dirt is set to be revealed at 11am today at News Limited headquarters in Surry Hills.

A media statement released by News Limited Corporate Affairs at 9.08am today said: "Media are invited to a press conference announcing the findings of the Deloitte investigation into the Melbourne Storm.

"News Limited Chairman and Chief Executive, John Hartigan, and Chief Operating Officer, Peter Macourt, will chair the press conference and be available to answer questions"

The Melbourne Storm's salary cap fraud is so extensive that News Limited chief executive and chairman John Hartigan warned yesterday: "You are in for a shock - the size of the infringements are huge."

As the Storm nervously await the release of the Deloitte investigation into their finances, Hartigan said for the first time the club would struggle to keep its star quartet of Greg Inglis, Cameron Smith, Cooper Cronk and Billy Slater.

He also took aim at Storm chairman Rob Moodie, branding his suggestions that Deloitte was doctoring its report to suit News Limited as "defamatory and patently absurd". Speaking outside News Limited's Surry Hills offices yesterday, Hartigan revealed the report would name players.

"That will happen," he said. "There will be names named when it [the report] is released this week.

"Look, you are in for a shock because of the depth of what I'd consider a fraud, that will be there for everyone to see. The size of the infringements are huge.

"Our job is about rebuilding the club so I want to make this club totally open, transparent and for them to be able to rebuild with the players and the best team we can get.

"There's people [at the club] who have been suspended and you will see there's action about them in the report.

"We [News Limited] have only had the report since the end of last week. It's a very big document and we want to make it transparent and release it.

"The bottom line is that there are parts for people's privacy, particularly the players, that we feel we can't [make public]. But I think you will be surprised at how much [information] you will get."

Hartigan insisted any Storm officials aware of the rorting would be sacked and players would be named in the report.

Asked could Melbourne possibly retain their four big stars, Hartigan said: "I'll do some sums when we release it to show you how difficult [it will be]. It is about retaining the fans, the best team, the best players, the culture, and the things that are so great."

Hartigan said Melbourne may need some assistance from the NRL to retain a competitive side.

"We are going to need goodwill from the NRL. [But] when you are suing them, I am not sure that will buy you that goodwill."

The four independent directors, Moodie, Jayco caravan king Gerry Ryan, Peter Maher and Petra Fawcett, are taking the NRL to court claiming the league did not follow due process in stripping the Storm of two premierships and preventing them from playing for points this season.

News Limited chief operating officer Peter Macourt this week asked Melbourne's independent directors to resign. They refused. The Storm's acting chief executive Frank Stanton addressed the club's administrative staff yesterday, telling them the report had exonerated them.

He said the report would be released some time today.

 

[Tiger_Watto]

I don't have much confidence in this report. The Nrl should of commissioned an independent audit, not a News Ltd audit.

I can see it now…. "it was them, the other directors..."

I smell cover-up!!!!

 

[Glennb]

This is obviously a News Ltd arse covering exercise….BUT...

at the end of the day, in theory there have been payments in excess of $3M extra over. News ltd _fund_ the Storm as well as hold 50% of the board. I find it hard to believe that in a diligent board they lose track of an additional$3M in funding.

 

[Tigerpete]

Here comes hate campaign number 2\. Could kill the club if we're honest.

 

[Red_Rugby]

It's going to be hard for the Storm to recover from this horrible mess because all of the evidence is being referred to both the Victorian Police and the Tax Office. It doesn't matter what the players claim they knew or didn't know, if the registered contracts held by the NRL are different in any way from the contracts held by the Storm then all parties to those contracts are liable.

This could be more far-reaching than where players will be playing next year!

I'd suggest that the finger-pointing and the blame has only just started, am I correct in recalling that the Directors of the Bulldogs were sentenced for fraud in the aftermath of Oasis?

 

[Guest]

Melbourne Storm salary-cap breach tallies $3.17 million over five years
By Christopher Sutton
foxsports.com.au

July 15, 2010 An audit commissioned by Melbourne Storm owner News and conducted by accounting firm Deloitte has concluded the NRL club's breaches tallied $3.17 million from 2006 until the end of this season.

Hartigan, speaking at a press conference called in Sydney on Thursday morning, confirmed the recent reports that the Storm's actual salary-cap breaches were 83 per cent higher than the NRL's original estimate on April 22.

Latest figures show the Storm were in excess of $1 million over the cap in the 2010 season alone.

The estimate, based on Deloitte's investigation, for the 2011 season was a breach of $1.3 million.

He said the club had no choice but to accept the harsh penalties imposed by the NRL, which included the stripping of two premierships and forcing the club to play for no points this season.

"Is it fraud?" Hartigan said,

"That's something for the police to investigate and we're referring the matter to them."

According to Hartigan, a large number of people refused to cooperate with the investigation, including all players who were asked to do so, despite a guarantee that all private information would be kept so.

Hartigan was critical that requests by Deloitte to interview players were either ignored or declined by the player or their manager/agent

"No evidence was found that these players or their managers and agents knew that these third party payments and benefits could contribute to a breach of the salary cap," he said.

"Regrettably not one of the players agreed to cooperate with the investigation … in my view it's totally unacceptable."

Coach Craig Bellamy and former financial officer Cameron Vale were singled out as the only ones who did assist with the investigation.

Bellamy has been cleared of any wrong-doing.

As a result of players, managers and other third parties opting not to provide information to Deloitte or News Limited during the investigation, the $3.17 million amount could be lower or higher.

However, News Limited believes it is most unlikely that the amount will be materially lower.

Hartigan paid tribute to the innocent victims of the scandal's fallout, namely the fans, and praised the club spirit as being outstanding during the period.

Sweeping changes to the board have also been announced, including the sacking of chairman Rob Moodie and fellow independent directors Petra Fawcett, Peter Maher and Gerry Ryan. It was again stated that there was no evidence any of these individuals knew of the breaches.

Stephen Rue was appointed to the board alongside Craig Watt and Frank Stanton, the acting chief executive.

Likewise there was nothing to show that the 13 players named as having received payments or benefits from third parties that fell outside the cap, knew about the illegalities involved.

The players were Billy Slater, Cameron Smith, Greg Inglis, Cooper Cronk, Ryan Hoffman, Anthony Quinn and Brett White and former players Dallas Johnson, Will Chambers, Mick Crocker, Matt Geyer, Steve Turner and Antonio Kaufusi.

 

[system]

All of the players named for mine who refused to participate in the investigation have now and will always have a large question mark over their integrity. It also stinks of bad advice from player managers to their clients to cover their own backs

 

[Icon]

Melbourne will end like Al Capone - tax will be their undoing.

 

[Beavis]

There is a line in the article on the smh site (and in the article willow posted as well)

"Regrettably not one of the players agreed to cooperate with the investigation …

Now, if the players were innocent, why wouldn't they have helped...

 

[prattenpark]

I'm glad it's finally out there. I wonder what the apologists like Phil Gould will have to say now.
Players not cooperating reaks of guilt.
With the independent Directors sacked the court case should finish.
Can't wait for round 25 at Leichhardt!!! Let's give it to them Tigers fans.

 

[Tigerdave]

There is a line in the article on the smh site (and in the article willow posted as well)

"Regrettably not one of the players agreed to cooperate with the investigation …

Now, if the players were innocent, why wouldn't they have helped...

That's what I'd like to know too. You'd think if you were innocent you'd want your name cleared…..right now it appears that all 13 players named knew something fishy was going on and all went along with it.

 

[LukeH]

If you've got nothing to hide then you'd have to come out for your own sake. Clearly everyone involved in this was neck deep in it and looked out only for themselves. Rubbish they didn't know it was happening. They each signed two contracts, one for the books and one with the extras on it, didn't they think it was unusual? They are putrid and must be rubbed out of the game as an example. I'm glad the police have it now as it's fraud on the biggest scale for the NRL.
Just my opinion of course.

 

[prattenpark]

The best information I've found about the whole dirty matter is found on the Storm website here: http://www.melbournestorm.com.au/default.aspx?s=article-display&id=27895&storm-background-information-obtained-by-news-ltd.. It summarisies the evidence as to what was happening - pretty damning stuff. It's also damning because it is clear players were renegotiating their contracts, but no evidence was found they knew this was a problem under the salary cap - 'no evidence' because the players refused to cooperate.

 

[tigergirlz]

Regardless of the "no-points" rule for 2010, it isn't fair that teams have to still play against talent priced more than 2 million dollars above theirs. The Storm should sit out 2010, and bad luck to those who miss out on rep footy, or can't fetch good money when they leave. Players should sue the club for the inconvenience.

 

[redemption]

I don't have much confidence in this report. The Nrl should of commissioned an independent audit, not a News Ltd audit.

I can see it now…. "it was them, the other directors..."

I smell cover-up!!!!

Are you fair dinkum questioning the integrity of Deloittes?

If so you have been fooled by the backflipping fool that is Dr Rob Moodie who is pushing this tripe!

 

[westTAHger]

they are fielding an illegal team.
so if they win a game, it has been done illegally.
they can control who makes top 8 or not.
why let them play at all, until they are under the salary cap?