Brian Waldron has of course subsequently proved what sort of team you can get for the salary cap plus another $700K. Basically it means that a marque player is paid around 400 - 500 K a year while an average first grader is on 200 - 300K a year. So you can basically get an extra 3 to 4 established first graders or upgrade with another 3 marque players. They took option B which has proved mighty successful.
Since then of course the storm have said that every club cheats the cap, But there is a big difference between going over by 10K due to a big injury toll and prolonged, systematic and deliberate cheating, which strangely enough also describes their playing style.
The news that the Melbourne Storm has given former CEO John Ribot his dying wish*, with his final statement at the what in the hell do I have to do to get the club on the Front page. To which the new CEO Brian Waldron replied - Leave it with me.
I find it hard to believe that the players and their managers didn't know. What exactly did they think was happening when they signed their respective contracts twice. The NRL was happily complicit by not looking to hard, after all they would have to get their boss to pay the fine, which of course goes back to the NRL who they own so they will get the money back. How did the NRL think that the Storm could afford to buy Brett Finch halfway through the year when every other club with half of Melbourne's roster said they were already over.
The details provided by to the NRL auditor are largely based on Statutory declarations of earnings, Did the players not notice that the amount they signed for was well over what they put in their tax returns. Brian says he has done nothing wrong - well Brian signing one or say 25 false statutory declarations is an offence - just ask Marcus Enfield.
Still at least now we know why the storm needed so much money to stay afloat when the new independent commission comes in.
The news came as a shock to most Melbournians not least of which was because they finally found out that they had a NRL team. But things don't look good for the club. It has a captive audience of expat New Zealanders and Islanders who would just as happily follow union if they could. When the Melbourne rugby team the rebels come into the comp this will effectively half their ratings thus halve their pay tv earning potential which is the only thing keeping them in the comp.
Until the Rebels come into the comp the Storm are desperately trying to reinvent themselves. Cameron Smith is trying to endear himself to the public by doing as many publicity visits as possible including the one where he went to see Carl Williams the day before he died. Carl I have seen you on TV but you look a lot fatter - geeze mate an exercise bike wouldn't kill ya.
The club is even thinking of ditching the whole storm logo and mascot and going for an animal based logo unique to Australia. I don't know about you but I think its a winner.
Also here is a nice photo of the storm boys where the photographer was having some fun and said "Show us how many premierships you''ve won, everyone understood except for the stodgy prop in the front row who thought they saidhow many grand did you find in your locker this morning"
* John Ribot is not acctually dead - I just wish he was.
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