Storm for Wooden Spoon - Betting Suspended

[Nashy]

The fairest way is to cancel contracts, and put them back on the market.

 

[Kaz]

Craig Bellamy's Storm heartache

MELBOURNE Storm coach Craig Bellamy knew his champion team would be broken up well before the salary cap scandal erupted in April.
Revelations the Deloitte report could prove Storm would be $1.3 million over the cap in 2011 were no surprise to the club or Bellamy, who was told in January.

After disgraced former chief executive Brian Waldron left the club, Bellamy and football manager Frank Ponissi were told several heavily back-ended contracts, done by Waldron, would put Storm well over the cap if honoured.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/craig ... public_rss

 

[Kaz]

6 pages of the report. (pdf file)

http://images.smh.com.au/file/2010/07/1 ... 9191390317

 

[Kimlo]

I can't remember who mentioned it early on saying that Slater wouldn't of signed a dodgy contract but the other 3 would have well whoever said that turned out to be spot on cause Slater and his manager refused to sign a second contract because they knew it was dodgy.

My respect for Slater has gone up a lot this year, I'm actually starting to like the bloke :)
Even if he does play for that shitstain of a club.

 

[Foordy]

However, News' action to sack the directors dealt a blow to their course as they no longer represent the Storm and their legal team have requested a hearing before Justice Tony Pagone on Monday. It is understood Gerry Ryan, one of the independent directors, has withdrawn from the case, but it is unclear whether the other three board members will seek to press on. There are two ways the case against the NRL could proceed: if the new board continued to support the action - a course of action that News has indicated would not happen - or if the case was taken on by disaffected members.

''The members are those who have paid [to be] full members and have valuable entitlements … in my view have derivative rights to continue the action if it can be demonstrated that the board was no longer acting in their interests,'' Gordon said.

''If the club were to seek to stop the legal action we would seek instructions from the several hundred members of the Melbourne Storm who have already engaged us as to whether they wanted to continue the action.''

A major stumbling block could be finding a benefactor willing to fund the action, although Maher and fellow deposed director Gerry Ryan are both successful and wealthy businessmen. Maher would not comment on whether he would be willing to help fund a members' action.

http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/leag ... 10e4l.html

 

[Huge]

Now the dust has settled we find the Storm over five years cheated the cap by 3 million. Say, 600k a year, equal to one extra player on good money. Instead of 25 players they had 26, no, that's not right is it. They had 25 but paid them extra. Now I get it, basically they had the same amount of players but paid them more than the other teams were paying for their 25 players. Amazingly, that alone was enough to give them success !! Just pay your players more. So lets just pay Cronullas players extra and they'll have great success too ~!!!...why does'nt that sound right ?? Seems logical.

Only advantage Melbourne had was paying overs for players equal to one superstars rate or the equivalent of two good players yet still the fact remains.............they had 25 players just like all the rest. Somehow it just does'nt mean that much to me. I've never cared what they paid their players and whatever they paid them was not enough to ensure success. Other factors are at play. Money does not in itself bestow ability on players. As far as I'm concerned they will always be the winners of the games they won, no administration or fan rants will change that. Broncos will always be the only team for me.

 

[Kimlo]

Huge, just wow.

Do you seriously believe what you just wrote?
One extra player??? [eusa_doh

 

[Fozz]

At 600k a year, we could've had Thurston playing next to Lockyer, kept Petero, Boyd and Hannant. If that isn't a premiership winning advantage then I don't know what is! The Storm would not have kept the team they had if they were legal. They probably could have won those premierships but it would have been a harder slog.

 

[Flutterby]

Huge just doesn't get it people. He doesn't get that it isn't as simple as the equivalent of one extra player. Of course Huge, the extra money doesn't give them the talent - but the extra money allowed the Storm to keep all of the BIG 4 together in the one team. Clearly the Storm felt that if they didn't pay the extra money, then one or more of them would have left to play elsewhere. It was that they were able to keep all four of these superstars (plus the others that received payments outside the cap) playing together in the same team that brought them the success they had. If they were not able to keep those 4 all at the club it is much less likely they would have had the amount of on-field success they had. But I don't expect Huge to get that.

 

[Kimlo]

+1
It really is this simple.
600k could give their 6 best players an extra 100k, no one will leave their current club if they are being offered 100k more than the closest competitor.

Saying 600k just got them one player is absolutely ridiculous and ... I won't go on.

 

[Coxy]

Not to mention the breaches in 2006 were small, and getting increasingly big until a whopping $1.3 million for next year.

Hell, how about to be even fairer, we go back to say 2002...oh look, they didn't breach the cap from 2002-2005, so therefore the breach is only $3.2 million over 9 years... = $355000...an extra prop forward per year.

Blah. Just another example of Huge not being in touch with modern professional sport. You're just too old, mate. How about you just ring ABC Grandstand and talk to Wok, he's probably more in your generation and you can reminisce together about the good old days when nobody gave a shit what dumb footballers did on or off the field.

 

[HITMAN82]

Not to mention the breaches in 2006 were small, and getting increasingly big until a whopping $1.3 million for next year.

Hell, how about to be even fairer, we go back to say 2002...oh look, they didn't breach the cap from 2002-2005, so therefore the breach is only $3.2 million over 9 years... = $355000...an extra prop forward per year.

Blah. Just another example of Huge not being in touch with modern professional sport. You're just too old, mate. How about you just ring ABC Grandstand and talk to Wok, he's probably more in your generation and you can reminisce together about the good old days when nobody gave a shit what dumb footballers did on or off the field.

The bolded part makes me pretty suspicious about whether this was calculated illegal "back-loading" with the players' knowledge. I am hoping the ATO goes over their individual cases VERY closely.

 

[Huge]

I do get it but even knowing it does not change the fact that they had the same amount of players as anyone else. It seems most of you do not get that. 25 on 25 or 17 on 17 if you like. If that is kept firmly in mind when considering the advantages gained from paying overs , and thereby keeping a group of players together, then a lot of the heat in the argument can be kept to a minimum. I will point out in my post that the overs(averaged) equated to a superstar OR two good first graders.

I'm simply asking that other posters consider rationally a differing take on things. I've never thought their actions correct when rorting the cap but believe I understand quite clearly the advantages gained. It's just for me those actions did not invalidate what the team and coach(support too) did in being a great success. Most of the rort , and if next year is excluded (it has'nt and won't happen therefore it becomes merely an intention) then the rort is 1.8 million over 4 years if you start at 2006 or 2007. The breach was very small in 2006 so from wherever you count it averages at around 400 k a season. Still it is only a monetary difference the Storm had and not any numerical advantage.

Yes, they kept players together who wanted to stay together because it felt like family. What they achieved was not down to money but love for one another. Storm players probably could have gotten more money much earlier than they did but stayed.

 

[robbie mustoe]

I do get it but even knowing it does not change the fact that they had the same amount of players as anyone else. It seems most of you do not get that. 25 on 25 or 17 on 17 if you like. If that is kept firmly in mind when considering the advantages gained from paying overs , and thereby keeping a group of players together, then a lot of the heat in the argument can be kept to a minimum. I will point out in my post that the overs(averaged) equated to a superstar OR two good first graders.

I'm simply asking that other posters consider rationally a differing take on things. I've never thought their actions correct when rorting the cap but believe I understand quite clearly the advantages gained. It's just for me those actions did not invalidate what the team and coach(support too) did in being a great success. Most of the rort , and if next year is excluded (it has'nt and won't happen therefore it becomes merely an intention) then the rort is 1.8 million over 4 years if you start at 2006 or 2007. The breach was very small in 2006 so from wherever you count it averages at around 400 k a season. Still it is only a monetary difference the Storm had and not any numerical advantage.

Yes, they kept players together who wanted to stay together because it felt like family. What they achieved was not down to money but love for one another. Storm players probably could have gotten more money much earlier than they did but stayed.

I barely post on here anymore but I had to come on to say that this is borderline the most retarded thing I have ever read.

You do realise mate that if Cronulla were to pay their players an extra $1.3 million a season they would, in all likelihood, have a better set of players? Sure they would still only have 25, like everyone else, but they would be a better set of 25.

Money = talent. You pay more money, you have more talent. Not. Difficult. In a regulated environment where talent is supposed to be spread in an equal manner by constraining each club's resources, the magnitude of breaches we are talking about with the Storm can (and have) result in significant distortions.

Also, use of apostrophes needs improvement.

 

[Coxy]

Well said Mustoe.

 

[Kimlo]

WTF HUGE! Rationally? The hypocrisy is astounding!


Family my ass, what they built together was MONEY, don't bullshit yourself or anyone else, how come this "family" is being disbanded at a 100 miles an hour since the word paycut came out, how come they're all not taking paycuts if they are "family". OMG, I can't believe the shit you spin sometimes.

Let me get this straight, are you fucking serious 17 on 17, 25 on 25????? SERIOUSLY?????????????????????????????
Alright tough guy, I'll chuck you in the ring with Mundine, it's 1 on 1 so it's a fair battle right, right????
You have no idea about the advantages gained otherwise you wouldn't post absolute dribble like that.
400k does not equal one player, if you can't see that then you have more important things to do than argue about the issue. Oh Perry is just as good as Lockyer, I mean it's 1 on 1, aye???? [eusa_doh

OMG, you're either a really good troll or I feel sorry for you.

 

[robbie mustoe]

WTF HUGE! Rationally? The hypocrisy is astounding!


Family my ass, what they built together was MONEY, don't bullshit yourself or anyone else, how come this "family" is being disbanded at a 100 miles an hour since the word paycut came out, how come they're all not taking paycuts if they are "family". OMG, I can't believe the shit you spin sometimes.

Let me get this straight, are you **** serious 17 on 17, 25 on 25????? SERIOUSLY?????????????????????????????
Alright tough guy, I'll chuck you in the ring with Mundine, it's 1 on 1 so it's a fair battle right, right????
You have no idea about the advantages gained otherwise you wouldn't post absolute dribble like that.
400k does not equal one player, if you can't see that then you have more important things to do than argue about the issue. Oh Perry is just as good as Lockyer, I mean it's 1 on 1, aye???? [eusa_doh

OMG, you're either a really good troll or I feel sorry for you.

To be fair a random male is probably a decent shot against Mundine at this point.

 

[Kimlo]

WTF HUGE! Rationally? The hypocrisy is astounding!


Family my ass, what they built together was MONEY, don't bullshit yourself or anyone else, how come this "family" is being disbanded at a 100 miles an hour since the word paycut came out, how come they're all not taking paycuts if they are "family". OMG, I can't believe the shit you spin sometimes.

Let me get this straight, are you **** serious 17 on 17, 25 on 25????? SERIOUSLY?????????????????????????????
Alright tough guy, I'll chuck you in the ring with Mundine, it's 1 on 1 so it's a fair battle right, right????
You have no idea about the advantages gained otherwise you wouldn't post absolute dribble like that.
400k does not equal one player, if you can't see that then you have more important things to do than argue about the issue. Oh Perry is just as good as Lockyer, I mean it's 1 on 1, aye???? [eusa_doh

OMG, you're either a really good troll or I feel sorry for you.

To be fair a random male is probably a decent shot against Mundine at this point.

haha, well I'll put Huge V Mohammed Ali in his prime, it's 1 on 1 so he should take him no worries [icon_wink