Melbourne Storm - who have they lost?

[baxteria]

I have to agree with Rock. What pisses me off is they have been in the comp for 11 years now (?) and how many juniors (Victorian born and bred) players have they produced? How does this help grow our sport?

In regards to the lack of interest they recieve it is in grand contrast to how crazy New Zealand went when the Warriors made their one and only Grand Final in 2002.

I'm not saying we should totally scrap the club but I think it needs to be relocated somewhere where it will be appreciated, like perhaps the central coast. (Although it would be nice if they got rid of that total twat of a coach - I so wanted to strangle him when I saw that smirk on his face last night - he made Peter Costello look humble)

And is it just me or does that damn bell of theirs drive you crazy in their home games?????

 

[Nashy]

**** NSW. Send it into Perth.

Central Coast can have Rabbitohs. However, hasn't it been said the CC will not accept a relocated team, only their own?

 

[guppy]

Perth doesn't care about Rugby League either.

 

[Nashy]

All I hear is they are sport crazy and will take anything they get.

Not to mention, reds are apparently still very popular.

 

[Clintos]

Perth just want to be reconnected with Australia.

Gotta give them something. God knows how boring Union is.

 

[guppy]

All I hear is they are sport crazy and will take anything they get.

Wouldn't you say the same about Melbourne?

Not to mention, reds are apparently still very popular.

I've said it before, but I lived there for a short while and no-one gave two hoots about League or ever mentioned the Reds. It was all AFL AFL AFL and a little of the Force.

 

[Nashy]

Fine. Darwin. They got nothin.

 

[Kimlo]

I think they have managed to remain pretty much untouched by the salary cap, which is very rare (almost impossible) for a team making 4 grand finals in a row.

Makes sense now.

 

[Je$ter]

Clint Newton, Michael Crocker, Garrett Crossman, Jeremy Smith, Ben Cross, Israel Folau, Antonio Kaufusi, James Aubusson, Matt King, Scott Hill and Matt Geyer have all left the Storm in recent years.

Think that's all of them.

+ Will Chambers, Joe Tomane, Tagatese, Jake Webster and Nathan Friend.

That is a pretty decent looking side there.

 

[Charmamba]

So they lost all those blokes yet still had to go over the cap? Smith/Inglis/Slater must be whores.

 

[Dexter]

Clint Newton, Michael Crocker, Garrett Crossman, Jeremy Smith, Ben Cross, Israel Folau, Antonio Kaufusi, James Aubusson, Matt King, Scott Hill and Matt Geyer have all left the Storm in recent years.

Think that's all of them.

+ Will Chambers, Joe Tomane, Tagatese, Jake Webster and Nathan Friend.

That is a pretty decent looking side there.

Anderson and Dallas Johnson

 

[Jazza]

Wow, egg on my face right now!

 

[tkday]

Yeah, was interesting to read all these people defending Melbourne etc, turns out they were filthy cheats.

 

[Assassin]

time for everyone else to start recruiting some storm stars for next year!

 

[HITMAN82]

Whether they have to shed many star players will depend on a few factors.
From what I've read

-They are currently operating 700k over the cap.

-The NRL won't let the team take pay cuts to stay together, as they closed that loophole after the Dogs scandal. Storm Must release players to get under the cap.

-Storm fans seem to be confident they can just release one or two high-end players like Lima, Quinn, Hoffman and a couple solid/upcoming/journeyman type players to drop the 700k, move in a couple of promising juniors or fringe players and keep the "elite" nucleus of Slater, Cronk, Smith, Inglis plus White, Blair together.

This depends on how the dodgy payments have been distributed - whether they are wide ranging, or just for a few of the marquee players. Also whether any players knew about them - if proven so, they may be forced to leave the Storm or even de-registered potentially?

Another factor will be the players' feelings towards the club now - some may want a fresh start. There could even be discontent between playersif some of them knew about the scam and were getting illegal top-ups while others took lower wages in the interest of staying together - this could really tear them apart.

Not to mention the possibility they could have a reduced cap enforced for next season - I certainly think they should.

They've f*cked over our competition for the last 5 years and I'm really bitter that I've missed out on seeing finals series fought between teams on an even playing field, not to mention the "elite nucleus" having a VERY strong effect at Origin and Test level - would some of these combinations have been so strong if not for the Storm??

I certainly hope they have to release at least 2 of their stars, plus a couple of solid players, and that it rips up their morale for a season or two. I want to see them struggle on the field as punishment for the huge effect their cheating has had.

 

[Coxy]

To be honest I think the best punishment would have been for the NRL to decide which contract(s) the Storm had lodged for 2010 they would deregister. Imagine if they picked Smith and Slater.

That'd be one hell of a deterrent for salary cap cheating, knowing the NRL will take one or both of your marquee players away.

 

[Assassin]

Imagine if the cowboys could offload "ever-injured" bowen and pick up slater at fullback... (which i could seriously imagine happening) they could actually take a crack at a premiership.

 

[Anonymous person]

bowen should be playing next week or so iirc, so see how he goes before offloading IMO.

but having thurston, tonga and slater working behind that pack......they could give it a real go.