Melbourne Storm stripped of premierships

[uranium_death]

Originally Posted by MethodX

who kept football going all those years in Aus?
Football didnt start in 2005 did it with Timmay and lucash.

And who contributed to the negative reputation of the sport?
Speak to many outside-supporters, and all they seem to remember of the NSL was the ethnic violence that occurred after matches.

The A-League has non-ethnic clubs which allows everybody to enjoy the game without any of the anger and bitterness that has been unnecessarily brought over into a little chucker of sport...

It is now a great, family-friendly place to be like the NRL and AFL.

Now back to the topic...

[MethodX]

Originally Posted by uranium_death

And who contributed to the negative reputation of the sport?
Speak to many outside-supporters, and all they seem to remember of the NSL was the ethnic violence that occurred after matches.

The A-League has non-ethnic clubs which allows everybody to enjoy the game without any of the anger and bitterness that has been unnecessarily brought over into a little chucker of sport...

It is now a great, family-friendly place to be like the NRL and AFL.

Now back to the topic...

but its an anglo fest, and eveyone follows brit teams, ******** that.
sickening.

[djrice]

boooooo to the storm kick me out or rename them :

[uranium_death]

I hope people still attend Storm matches and just enjoy the season...
After a couple of flags by Geelong, I am able to now just enjoy the sport without worrying too much about success, because at one point I wondered whether I would ever see a flag.

Fingers crossed some of the players developed at the Storm will remain for years to come.

[uranium_death]

Originally Posted by djrice

boooooo to the storm kick me out or rename them :

Thanks for the information.

[Zed7fiddy]

Hopefully NRL takes the game from Melb!! last years origin game ( a QLD Home game technically) netted approx 37 000 people, if in qld the game would of been sold out with over 50 000! why are the NRL wasting time with melbourne!

and CSV8 last weeks brisbane game was a sunday game, its rarely a sell out due to people having to work the next day. not the best comparison, wheras the lions played on saturday

[uranium_death]

I don't see why people have this code vs. code mentality.

I am not a rugby purist, so I don't really enjoy Union, but I want to see it work in Melbourne, and eveywhere else at that.

I want Storm to continue to exist and flourish in Melbourne because many of the people who attend Storm matches once lived interstate and grew up with the game. Therefore they have no interest in AFL, and the Storm gives them a team to follow. Hell, even I have attended the odd match just to get out for the night.

For the record, I have been a Geelong member (busy every Saturday so I can't afford to be anymore - still attend any matches that I can), and am currently a Victory member, and I still don't care about all this juvenile 'Storm suck' or 'soccer is boring' crap.

One professional team per-code per city is great.

[csv8]

Originally Posted by 67-FKD

Hopefully NRL takes the game from Melb!! last years origin game ( a QLD Home game technically) netted approx 37 000 people, if in qld the game would of been sold out with over 50 000! why are the NRL wasting time with melbourne!

and CSV8 last weeks brisbane game was a sunday game, its rarely a sell out due to people having to work the next day. not the best comparison, wheras the lions played on saturday

But if people really supported the Broncos/NRL they would attend, even if they worked the next day.....

[HULK EF]

I was heart broken back in 2002 when my canterbury bulldogs got caught massivly cheating he sallary cap and had 37 points deducted consigning my team from 1st to last instantly.. penalty matched the crime..
So i do feel like i know better than most the feeling of shock/disapointmnet/ shame/ horror of the Real Melbourne storm die hard fans..

No winners in this mess.

[vztrt]

Originally Posted by |||

the storm were a great team, but there was no passion surrounding them. everyone knew they were a "fake" team being propped up my a media empire.

If it wasn't for the media, it would have been dead like every other rugby league team in AFL states.

Originally Posted by Big Damo

There you go, just answered your own statement.

Talking about losing sports, I hope Soccer is next.

Soccer has a better following in Melbourne then Rugby ever will.

Originally Posted by MethodX

A league is boring, its the Anglo league, let the teams with culture back in.
not plastic teams with ****y netball teams names.

Well thats what you get when morons ruin it. Either way if they go back to the old ways they'll be bankrupt in no time like it was before A-league.

[Falc'man]

Edit: can someone go start a soccer thread, please?

Originally Posted by uranium_death

I hope people still attend Storm matches and just enjoy the season...

I hope so too, but I get the feeling that's just not going to happen. It will take a while for them to recover from this, and you can only start asking "when will it be back to normal" after 2010. (And as someone noted, this is just the start; the NRL ain't done with them yet)

This a bad day for not just Rugby League, but all Australian sports, as raises the question of trust in all people's minds about the integrity of their teams. (unless you're a Sharks supporter :( ). On the flipside I am thankful the NRL has reacted the way they have, and from this ground shaking decision I hope other teams (from this and other codes) take heed. They should



And I hope the insider who bet $40k on them getting the spoon loses his winnings as hard as the Storm crashed to the bottom of the 2010 ladder.

[Zed7fiddy]

Originally Posted by csv8

But if people really supported the Broncos/NRL they would attend, even if they worked the next day.....

Ive got members tickets, i went to the 2 previous sunday games (the last two home games) i cant get any more mondays off work. ive paid my membership fees, and shall continue to support as my schedule allows

[rodderz]

Originally Posted by MethodX

but its an anglo fest, and eveyone follows brit teams, ******** that.
sickening.

Go start your biased roundball argument elsewhere, this isnt the place for it, nor is the references to the non-euro teams, just like your posts in the F1 threads

[BDA Escort]

1st off, i'm melbourne born and bred. proud of it too. i hold the Storm close to my heart, and this will not change my opinion of the players and officials (club management is another story....), and won't stop me from supporting the team by attending games as often as i can.

ok. i, along with alot of people i know, can't stand AFL, even though as mentioned, i'm melbourne born and bred. melbourne is the home of AFL, granted, and while the game will always have a massive support base here, which is great for it's survival, i take pleasure when speaking to people form other areas of our great land when informing them that not everyone in melbourne loves the game, as that is the perception that is given outside of victoria. in fact, i'd go out on a limb and say that you'll now find more melburnians who want nothing to do with Australian Rules than ever before. the main reason i've found is simple.... every 5 minutes, there's something else in the paper, on the TV or radio about AFL. other news, REAL news, runs second (unless it's another gangland hit...). all we get is "how great this season will be" until the season starts, then it's nothing but AFL until the season's over, then it's "how great the season was" until christmas, and the cycle starts again.
i, along with alot of those i know that don't like AFL, are very passionate Storm supporters, with some of us being financial members. when the boys are doing well, they'll get half a page in the paper on monday, but only a few pages in. if they do badly, there's no mention.... but if an AFL player sneezes, it's front page news, with a 3 page follow up....
being a mad motorsport fan, probably more so than the Storm, is even worse.... the Grand Prix gets it's share, but other than that....

while we Storm fans are truly gutted by what has happened, and feel unbelievably cheated by our own, my real concern is how much damage this will do, long term, in melbourne. the short term effect is obvious, and i honestly don't think this is the end of this saga, nor do i believe that the Storm are alone in this, but the AFL will now have a field day, without doubt. business contacts that are associated with the AFL have told me for years that the success of the Storm in melbourne is a grave concern to the AFL, and the "success" of recent years has caused a visible amount of worry within "AFL house" as to how much the organisation is losing, in monitary terms (and that's what all of this is centred around) to a rival code. while the AFL may not say or do anything now, they don't have to. the Storm, and the NRL management itself, have done it for them, and the demise of an NRL presence in melbourne will just make the absolute overload of AFL in our city even worse.

sure, the last 5 years are gone. nothing can do about that. we move on, and while i've mentioned my concerns for the long term outlook, what of the immediate future of the Storm?? with no incentive to really play due to no chance of the real rewards a victory brings (points for a finals birth), how can they play to win and still be taken seriuosly?? all i can see in this situation is as follows:
the Storm win, and they get blasted because the win comes from a stack of players that shouldn't be here due to the salary cap cheating, or:
the Storm lose, and they get blasted because the loss comes from the players, officals, etc., no caring because the effort is for nothing, and the money is not given out after the game.
seriously, it's a lose/lose, no matter what, from which no one, other than the journo's, will benefit.

personally, i blame all of this squarely at the feet of the management of the Storm, not the players and team officals, as this part of the club's business is solely the responsibilty of management, while the 'team' concentrate on playing the game itself. as a supporter and member of the Storm, i will always feel that the punishment is far too extreme, but when viewing the position the Storm and the NRL have been put in, i really can't see any other punishment that could have been issued. the rules are the rules, and while sometimes we all break rules without realising it, this rule breaking incident was done in a manner which was pre-meditated, well calculated, and very well hidden, and the punishemnt for doing so is clear to all to try and prevent these things.
also, the NRL management itself need a good kicking too. i'm just staggered that this massive breach was only STUMBLED UPON!! how the hell they couldn't see this, for at least 5 YEARS, when everyone else in and around the game has been raising eyebrows, is beyond me, especially when the NRL itself has invested an enormous amount of time and money in melbourne to carve out a market, only to shoot itself in the head when the "vine was starting to bear fruit", so to speak....
i have real fears that, while i hope the NRL survives in melbourne, the damage this has done will take a very long time to heal, and while this damage will be centred in melbourne, the NRL and the game itself will be tained forever, australia wide, due to ridiculous situations that employees, sponsors, and mainly, the fans, will not tolerate, meaning that the position the Storm has battled for over 10 years to gain will never be enjoyed again.

cheers.

[MethodX]

Originally Posted by rodderz

Go start your biased roundball argument elsewhere, this isnt the place for it, nor is the references to the non-euro teams, just like your posts in the F1 threads

I didnt start the football comments mate. why single me out?

[rodderz]

Originally Posted by MethodX

oops sorry forgot this was bogan chat sir, sorry of me, since i didnt even start with the first soccer post.
ill only post the aussie national teams mclaren and williams ok.

Mate if you dont like it, you know where you can go.

Consider your last post on the subject the end of that debate

[DJR David]

As a person who follows the NRL (tigers , the AFL (Swans) , the Super Rugby (Waratahs) and the A - League (Sydney FC as there is no Wollongong team), i know it is possible to enjoy all kinds of football without dumping on the others. I'll be making no further comment on the soccer (football!!) in this thread.

Now, more and more talk in the media this morning about law breakers in the storm camp. Will be surprised if any players don't get charged for this.

Also when is the next Storm home game? Will anyone be going????

[OLDFORDNUT]

Originally Posted by Professor Farnsworth

for the love of..

all i had was collingwood and the storm.

i loved the storm.

collingwood i abandoned years ago for obvious reasons

now this? haha. This is the first time sports news has ever made me upset

me too just insert Melbourne demons though.
I watched the matty johs show last night and wanted to kick the effing screen in listening to those moronic rants by there guests,
Melbourne Storm has reinvigorated the sport for thousands of fans and got over a couple of MILLION Victorians and others watching and understanding the game ,
Do any of you QLD NSW spectators/fans actually believe your own crap about salary cap rorts.GROW UP. most teams who can afford it have been doing it they just have not been caught yet.
As for Melbourne Storm ,you imbeciles. fancy getting caught out.and admitting to it, why on earth did someone not burn the second set of books the moment you knew someone was looking. like im sure other NRL teams have done in the past and will frantically be doing this very day.

[scoupedy]

First up im sorry for the Melbourne fans - the Storm's administration has let them down badly, The players must have known something was up-...."here's 50G just don't let anyone know"

Interesting that Brisbane Lions and Sydney Swans only won there Afl Premierships when they had a bigger salery cap and at the same time Melbourne Storm won its first.
The salery cap is a good idea it makes an even playing field, but the NRL cap needs to be lifted to try and retain some of the quality players leaving the game for Europe and Rugby.

[just_pazz]

Good riddance! News Ltd just shut the Storm down and get this rubbish code out of our state! The majority of Victorians despise NRL.... and no one supports the storm down here. This is AFL town baby.... ******** off back north where ya's came from!

All our fields are ovals... all our young blokes grow up playing AFL. Hell... up until my early teens I didn't even know rugby league existed. The code has no future in this state, best spreading the resources around the northern states.... and we'll happily keep playing our "GAYFL".

[RG]

Originally Posted by 67-FKD

Ive got members tickets, i went to the 2 previous sunday games (the last two home games) i cant get any more mondays off work. ive paid my membership fees, and shall continue to support as my schedule allows

Mate if that really were the reason people don't attend NRL games on a Sunday then you'd expect the same for a Sunday AFL game. There seems to be no issue with getting 50k+ crowds in Melbourne even though people have to work the next day. I just don't think there is the same interest from NRL supporters to see their team play in person compared to AFL.

Whilst I agree that action needed to be taken against Melbourne Storm I don't think the punishment at all fits the crime. Way too severe. Essendon and Carlton fans know what it is like to have your team pinged for salary cap breaches and I think the sanctions and fines handed out by the AFL then were quite adequate. It both punished the teams involved and sent out a message to others that if they were caught they could expect to be punished.

Stripping clubs of premierships and making them play for no points can have no good come out of it. I feel the NRL has reacted with a knee jerk and they will come to regret this.

[RG]

Originally Posted by scoupedy

Most Nrl players wouldn't last one quarter of AFL not because its such a tough guy game but their fitness wouldn't be good enough

WHOA!!

Bloke there's a line, step back over this side of it could ya?

[RedHotGT]

I listened to 3AW on the way in to work this morning... and I was certainly surprised with some of the reactions....

Particularly those who are saying that the punishment is a little harsh...
THEY CHEATED - blatanlty... 2 sets of books is one of the most dodgy ways of frauding... and they got caught (or whistleblown - as I have heard)...

The punishment is not too harsh... how do you measure the punishment for cheating such as this...?? The punishment is to hurt the Storm and make them accountable and realise that what they have done is SERIOUSLY wrong and against the spirit of the game and hugely damaging to the NRL.

The punishment is also to act as a deterrant to other clubs who may have already, or been considering acting outside the salary cap. Now that the other clubs know what sort of punishment they may receive - i'd imagine that there will be some 'tidying up' around clubs and an internal audit to make sure that everything is legit...

The only thing that I do question, is the removal of all of this years points (including future games won). Because this basically means that there is no point in playing the game other than pride (which has been given a severe beating) and match fitness... This will probably do the most damage to the Storm (other than the obvious damage to reputation and pride)...

But now that the NRL has taken such a hard stand on this issue, they must not backtrack and change their mind... that would be worse for the game than the current situation...

The players may not have known that they were in breech of the salary cap - as their managers do a lot of the paper shuffling and - and if anything its the managers that will be under the spotlight...

Clubs have been doing payments and 'incentives' outside the salary cap since day dot... whether it be cash payments under the table, properties, holidays, or assistance with extra work outside the club (sponsors providing kickbacks)...

Reportedly the Storm were around about $750,000 over the cap (around 20%) which is a huge advantage... Any team that has a 20% advantage over another team is certainly cheating...

The 2 sets of books thing will crucify the club, and I would think that yesterday marks the beginning of the end of the Melbourne Storm...

For the record - I am not an NRL fan... but a sports fan in general...

Certainly been a big news week here in Melbourne... for all the wrong reasons...

[RG]

Originally Posted by loftie

I listened to 3AW on the way in to work this morning... and I was certainly surprised with some of the reactions....

Particularly those who are saying that the punishment is a little harsh...
THEY CHEATED - blatanlty... 2 sets of books is one of the most dodgy ways of frauding... and they got caught (or whistleblown - as I have heard)...

The punishment is not too harsh... how do you measure the punishment for cheating such as this...?? The punishment is to hurt the Storm and make them accountable and realise that what they have done is SERIOUSLY wrong and against the spirit of the game and hugely damaging to the NRL.

The punishment is also to act as a deterrant to other clubs who may have already, or been considering acting outside the salary cap. Now that the other clubs know what sort of punishment they may receive - i'd imagine that there will be some 'tidying up' around clubs and an internal audit to make sure that everything is legit...

The only thing that I do question, is the removal of all of this years points (including future games won). Because this basically means that there is no point in playing the game other than pride (which has been given a severe beating) and match fitness... This will probably do the most damage to the Storm (other than the obvious damage to reputation and pride)...

But now that the NRL has taken such a hard stand on this issue, they must not backtrack and change their mind... that would be worse for the game than the current situation...

The players may not have known that they were in breech of the salary cap - as their managers do a lot of the paper shuffling and - and if anything its the managers that will be under the spotlight...

Clubs have been doing payments and 'incentives' outside the salary cap since day dot... whether it be cash payments under the table, properties, holidays, or assistance with extra work outside the club (sponsors providing kickbacks)...

Reportedly the Storm were around about $750,000 over the cap (around 20%) which is a huge advantage... Any team that has a 20% advantage over another team is certainly cheating...

The 2 sets of books thing will crucify the club, and I would think that yesterday marks the beginning of the end of the Melbourne Storm...

For the record - I am not an NRL fan... but a sports fan in general...

Certainly been a big news week here in Melbourne... for all the wrong reasons...

The problem I have with it is that this punishment has been handed out before the NRL actually knows if the players knew.

Fair enough punish the club, punish the officials but if the players didn't know then they weren't at fault. Why are they being punished?

[RedHotGT]

Originally Posted by RG

The problem I have with it is that this punishment has been handed out before the NRL actually knows if the players knew.

Fair enough punish the club, punish the officials but if the players didn't know then they weren't at fault. Why are they being punished?

They have punished the club... and they haven't punished the players individually...

They're still playing this week - as they were scheduled to...

There's just no point to the game... its up to them whether they play with the same level of passion and determination as they have the previous rounds this year...

[BOSHOG]

if you look at melbournes roster its no surprise they were over the cap, now brisbane need to be looked at

[uranium_death]

Andrew Demetriou is a clown.
He said that he applauds the actions of the NRL, as the AFL had to take the same stance with Carlton and Melbourne...is he serious?

Carlton lost draft picks, but they keep their premiership which apparently is questionable (1995).
Essendon and Melbourne apparently were both sanctioned too.

Demetrious is a media puppet. How does he earn over 1.5 million dollars a year?

[RG]

Originally Posted by loftie

They have punished the club... and they haven't punished the players individually...

They're still playing this week - as they were scheduled to...

There's just no point to the game... its up to them whether they play with the same level of passion and determination as they have the previous rounds this year...

Yes they have.

It was the players who won the premierships.

[BOSHOG]

Originally Posted by RG

Yes they have.

It was the players who won the premierships.

it was also the players who recieved the extra money, to say they are innocent is just plain silly

[RG]

Originally Posted by BOSHOG

it was also the players who recieved the extra money, to say they are innocent is just plain silly

Why?

Do you know something the rest of us don't? Can you categorically state that the players knew that the club was in breach of its salary cap?

You can't, as yet the NRL can't so until then they are innocent. Innocent until proven guilty.