Gallop slams Storm
15/07/2010 3:05 PM
Adam Lucius
Sportal
NRL boss David Gallop has labelled the extent of Melbourne's salary cap cheating as 'damning in the extreme', saying the stunning findings of an independent forensic investigation fully vindicates the decision to strip the club of two premierships and deny it competition points this season.
Just three hours after News Limited chief executive John Hartigan revealed a report from accounting firm Deloitte had found the Storm rorted the salary cap to the tune of $3.17m over five years, Gallop defended his organisation's handling of the affair and took a swipe at those responsible for the systematic cheating.
"The disclosures by the Storm's owner (News Ltd) this morning were damning in the extreme," he said.
"It’s time for everyone to face the facts and focus on the club's future."
"Fact one - Melbourne Storm systematically breached the salary cap and they are well and truly over it today."
"Fact two - The NRL issued its penalties on the basis of breaches that the club and (chairman) Dr (Rob) Moodie openly admitted to."
"Dr Moodie, on behalf of his board, publicly accepted the penalties imposed (on April 22)."
"Fact three – The fact that the breaches go beyond even those admissions is an indictment on the directors who were overseeing the club and a chairman who signed statutory declarations that the club was complying with the salary cap."
"Fact four - The true victims of the cheating are not only Storm fans and the innocent parties at the club, but the other fifteen clubs and their fans who lost the chance to compete fairly for players."
"Fact five - There is a future for Melbourne Storm and we are keen to work with the club’s new management to do all that can be done within the rules to make it a successful one."
Gallop added the NRL remain 100 per cent convinced that the penalties imposed on Melbourne when the salary cap breaches first came to light were 'appropriate' despite the extent of the cheating now being much larger than first thought.
He also took aim at former Storm chairman Moodie, sacked this week by News Ltd, and the ex-directors who have launched legal action against the NRL over those penalties.
"Let me address some of the nonsense emanating from Dr Moodie and his team in recent days," Gallop said.
"To say that they are the only ones interested in the Storm's future and of putting the ‘N’ in the NRL is PR-driven rubbish designed to smother the facts."
"Their back-flip on their acceptance of the penalties has caused great damage and slowed down the club's progress towards successfully getting back on track."
