TheMelbourne Storm salary cap breachwas a major breach of theNational Rugby League's strictly enforcedsalary capby theMelbourne Stormclub over a period of five years. The discovery of these breaches in 2010 by the NRL resulted in it stripping the Storm of all honours achieved as a team between 2006 and 2010. This included the2007and2009premierships, the2006,2007 and 2008minor premiershipsand the2010 World Club Challengetitle.
| Date | 2006 – 22 April 2010 |
|---|---|
| Location | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Also known as | Melbourne Storm salary cap scandal |
| Type | National Rugby League salary cap |
| Participants |
|
| Outcome |
|
| Inquiries | National Rugby Leagueinvestigation, 2010 |
| Suspects | Brian Waldron, Matt Hanson, Paul Gregory, Peter O'Sullivan |
Investigation
editFollowing claims by awhistleblowerthat the club was keeping a second set of books, the NRL conducted an investigation in late 2009 and early 2010. After initially denying the claims, Storm officials confessed on 22 April 2010 that the club had committed systematic breaches of the salary cap over five years between 2006 and 2010 by running a dual contract and bookkeeping system. The NRL estimated the breach to be in excess of $1.7 million over five years, around $400,000 in 2009 and with a projected breach of $700,000 in 2010.[1]
As a club's compliance with the NRL salary cap is supported bystatutory declarations,the club's owners requested that fraud and perjury charges be laid against those responsible and stated that any person who knew of the breach would be expelled from the club. TheVictorian Fraud Squadbegan preliminary investigations on 23 April, and theAustralian Securities and Investments Commissionalso made preliminary investigations and indicated an interest in investigating breaches of theCorporations Act.Storm executives had arranged for inflated invoices to be submitted to hide the payments to players. This involved submitting invoices of up to $20,000 above the real value of the services rendered, with this amount paid directly to players by the third-party suppliers, although there was no suggestion that the suppliers were involved in submitting the inflated invoices.[2][3]
Penalties
edit
NRL Chief ExecutiveDavid Gallopimposed the following penalties on the Storm later on 22 April:
- The Melbourne Storm were stripped of their2007and2009premierships and their 2006, 2007 and 2008 minor premierships, which were withheld.
- An Australian sporting record total fine of $1,689,000 (composed of $1.1 million in NRL prize money which was re-distributed equally between the remaining 15 clubs, $89,000 in prize money from theWorld Club Challenge,which was re-distributed to theLeeds Rhinos,and the maximum penalty of $500,000 for breaching the salary cap regulations).
- Deduction of all eight premiership points they had already received in the 2010 season, and barred from receiving any further premiership points (including points automatically awarded for abyeduring the season) for the rest of the 2010 season.
- Further, the club were also ordered to cut their payroll by $1,012,500 to meet the 2011 salary cap by 31 December 2010;[4][5]failure to do so would have resulted in the club being suspended from the2011 NRL season.
The Storm initially accepted this decision without question but later appealed the loss of their two premierships and premiership points for the 2010 season. The court action was later dropped, with the Storm paying the NRL's legal costs.[6]
Despite the stripping of the two premierships,Greg InglisandBilly Slatercontinue to be recognized as theClive Churchill Medallistsfrom 2007 and 2009, respectively.[7]
On 23 April, the NRL seized a secret dossier hidden in the home of acting chief executive Matt Hanson. The dossier contains letters of offer to three of the Storm's star players (Greg Inglis,Billy Slater,andCameron Smith) and another unnamed player guaranteeing illegal payments in the form of goods from third parties. For one player with a $400,000 contract lodged with the NRL, the letter of offer was valued at $950,000, and contained a $20,000 gift voucher for a national retailer and a $30,000 boat. Other offers included a new car for a player's partner and $30,000 in home renovations. The offers together amounted to $700,000, of which the four players had already received $400,000. While Waldron had signed all the letters of offer, only Inglis and Slater had signed theirs, albeit the letters were written in a way that the players may not have realised the extra payments were outside the cap.[2][8]
Suspects
editFormer CEOBrian Waldron,suspended chief executive officer and former chief financial officer Matt Hanson, and chief financial officer Paul Gregory are alleged to have been the main culprits behind the breaches. Former chief financial officer Cameron Vale was said to have been the whistleblower on the situation, a claim he denies.[9]
On 23 April 2010, Brian Waldron resigned from his position of chief executive of theMelbourne RebelsRugby Union Club after just six weeks of taking over the expansion team entering the newSuper Rugbycompetition. TheAFLinvestigated, and cleared, theSt Kilda Football Club's players' payments during Waldron's three-year time at the club alongside now-former Storm CEO Matt Hanson.[10]
On 16 November 2022, Brian Waldron broke his silence after 5 years and admitted in an interview that he was responsible for the salary cap issues. He stated while there were others who were aware, he took responsibility for the scheme as CEO.[11]
Reaction
editThe news was referred to byThe Agenewspaper as "The biggest scandal in Australian sports history".[12]Club supporters had mixed reactions and feelings towards the situation, as the club was left with "dishonour and shame". No club had ever been stripped of a competition title in 102 years of professional rugby league in Australia. One fan dumped his jerseys and other memorabilia at the team'sCarltonheadquarters on hearing about the incident, while others simply broke into tears. There was a general feeling that former CEO Brian Waldron was to blame for the entire scandal and not the players.[13]
Deputy Prime MinisterJulia Gillard,who was the club's number-one female ticket holder, said that supporters would be shocked and saddened, but she hoped that they would stand by the club as it rebuilt. Storm chairman Dr. Rob Moodie apologised to the fans, many of whom publicly removed their Storm colours and dumped them in disgust.[14]
Several sponsors, most notablyME Bank,Hostplusand Skins immediately withdrew support from the club,[15]whileHarvey Norman,[16]Jayco,[17]Suzuki[17]andKooGa[17]continued their support, with their logos featuring prominently in a hastily reconfigured jersey. In contrast to those sponsors who distanced themselves, Jayco and Suzuki increased their existing support to compensate for the losses of other sponsors.[18]
We are devastated. This is the lowest day for our club. We have betrayed the trust of the Australian people. We haven't played by the rules.
— Dr Rob Moodie,The Courier Mail
Betting agencies received an "old-fashioned betting sting", as some punters found out about the salary cap allegations before they became common knowledge. At the time, the Storm were inside the top four of the NRL ladder with four wins and two losses, $4.20 favourites to win the title and $251 to win the wooden spoon. TAB Sportsbet claimed it had to pay out at least $500,000 before betting was suspended.[19]
Melbourne sports industry experts John Poulakakis (Chief commercial officer, Melbourne F.C.) and Martin Hirons (Melbourne sport business consultant) were reported inThe Age,saying it could take little more than four weeks to two months to recover the $2 million it is believed to have already lost in sponsorship.[20]
By 30 April,The Agewas reporting a surge in club membership of 700 over the five days since the scandal erupted, with members who had previously revoked their memberships contacting the club to have them reinstated.[21]
Aftermath
editOn 15 July 2010, three months after the breach was exposed,News Limitedreferred the matter to ASIC and the Victoria Police to investigate possible fraud by the perpetrators.[22]The matter was also referred to the Australian Tax Office and the Victorian State Revenue Office the next day.[23]
We had some rats in our ranks. A small group of senior managers at the club orchestrated and concealed the extra payments. They are Brian Waldron, Matt Hanson, Paul Gregory, Peter O'Sullivan and Cameron Vale.
Despite having to play out the remainder of the 2010 season for no points, Melbourne remained competitive finishing with a record of 14 wins (ten of which came after the salary cap breach was revealed) and 10 losses. Had they been allowed to play for points, the club would have finished equal 5th. The club needed to shed a number of players at the conclusion of the season to help it fall back within the salary cap and these included: Greg Inglis, Brett White, Ryan Hoffman, Brett Finch, Jeff Lima and Aiden Tolman.
On 6 May 2011, the Victoria Police concluded its fraud investigation into the matter stating "It can no longer expend further resources on this matter" and that "no fraud has been committed".[24]That same week, theNational Rugby Leaguereleased its report on the breaches. The report did not detail any new breaches, however, it was recommended that Melbourne's 2010 World Club challenge also be revoked. The report also confirmed the guilty parties and vindicated all players and coaches.[25]
Melbourne were able to rebuild the team and remain successful in the immediate years following the breach with the club winning the2011minor premiership, the2012 NRL Grand Final[26]and the2013 World Club Challenge.[27]As of 2023, apart from the 2010 season, Melbourne have not missed the finals due to not winning enough games in a single season since2002.[28]
In 2016, theParramatta Eelswere also caughtbreachingthe salary cap by making payments to several players via external companies (third-party payments).[29]The main point of difference between the two episodes was the manner of the punishment: while Melbourne were not allowed to play for points for the remainder of the season, Parramatta were permitted to play for points as soon as they fell back in line with the cap.[30]It was acknowledged that this change was made due to the demoralising nature of the Storm punishment, including fans having to witness a team running out week after week with nothing to play for.[31]
In 2017, Melbourne held a gala dinner for the 10 year reunion of the 2007 team who were stripped of the title where coachCraig Bellamy (rugby league)spoke to the media regarding the2007 NRL Grand Finalresult and penalty.[32][33]
They can say what they like and erase what they like, but they are not going to erase these guys memories of what they did in 2007.
— Craig Bellamy, Coach ofMelbourne Storm,smh.com.au
In July 2018, Melbourne playerBilly Slaterspoke to the media about his possible retirement, and midway through the discussion said "I've been fortunate to play in many grand finals. I've won four and that won't determine whether I go on next year". Slater's statement, while accurate, does not reflect the fact that two of the premierships he won were later stripped by the NRL.[34]
In March 2019, Melbourne captainCameron Smithcalled for a new investigation to be conducted with the potential for both the 2007 and 2009 stripped premierships to be reinstated. Smith was upset at the fact that theCronulla-Sutherland Sharkswere allowed to keep their 2016 premiership despite being over the salary cap between 2013 and 2017 to a total of $700,000. Even though the amount that Cronulla were over the cap was a lot less than the Melbourne salary cap breaches, Smith felt that Melbourne had been hard done by. In the week that followed, NRL CEOTodd Greenbergruled out the possibility of the 2007 and 2009 stripped premierships being reinstated.[35][36]
Later that year, in August, Smith was interviewed byMatthew Johnsabout the club's stripped premierships and stated that those premierships victories were still considered valid to him.[37]
You’ve got different opinions... they are ours, We’ve still got the memories, we’ve all got the rings, I get it, people will say ‘how can you think like that?’ but that's just the way it is.
— Cameron Smith, Captain ofMelbourne Storm2007-2020,Foxsports.com.au
Following the club's2020 NRL Grand Finalvictory, Melbourne players were seen wearing shirts depicting that the club had won six premierships (this included the stripped titles). The NRL later banned the shirts from being sold, although it was because they were made by an unlicensed manufacturer not because of what they depicted. They also issued a warning notice to the unnamed Melbourne player who organised them.[38]
A month later,Cameron Smithreleased his autobiography titledThe Storm Within.In the book, Smith stated that the decisions made by theNRLduring the salary cap scandal were unfair and that the players were "Hung out to dry", this prompted former NRL CEODavid Gallopto respond stating that the NRL conducted a thorough investigation and that Smith was "just plain wrong" to complain about the punishments.[39]
In November 2022, 12 years after the salary cap issues were discovered, Brian Waldron admitted that he was responsible for them.
I take full accountability for my role, as the chief of the business the buck stops with me and right from the start I’m very remorseful and sorry for what happened. As CEO I ran an organisation that did some things that were wrong and outside the rules of the game and we pushed the boundaries.
— Brian Waldron, CEO ofMelbourne Storm2005–2010,Foxsports.com.au
In round 22 of the2023 NRL season,Melbourne celebrated 25 years as a club in the NRL with their game being played againstParramattaatDocklands Stadium.Before the match, the club released a promotional poster detailing the club had won six premierships, including the 2007 and 2009 stripped titles, the latter where they defeated Parramatta in the2009 NRL Grand Final.[40][41]
See also
edit
Further reading
edit- Kennedy, Paul (2013).Storm Cloud – Melbourne Storm's Demise and Resurrection.Richmond, Victoria: Hardie Grant Books (Australia).ISBN9781742705989.
References
edit- ^"Melbourne Storm breach NRL Salary Cap".22 April 2010.Retrieved6 December2022.
- ^abKent, Paul (24 April 2010). "The Dossier that ruined a sporting giant".The Advertiser.p. 1.
- ^Tabakoff, Nick (24 April 2010). "Taxman has all teams in sight".The Advertiser.p. 7.
- ^"NRL Fixtures – NRL Draw".Archived fromthe originalon 14 September 2009.Retrieved25 May2023.
- ^"Storm ordered to cut over $1m from payroll".Archived fromthe originalon 15 February 2011.Retrieved25 May2023.
- ^"Storm drops legal case against NRL".The Sydney Morning Herald.22 July 2010.Retrieved25 May2023.
- ^Whaley, Pamela; Brunsdon, Simon (3 December 2015)."NRL rookies: Greg Inglis tops the class of 2005 filled with wonderkids and workhorses".Fox Sports (Australia).Retrieved18 March2024.
- ^O’Halloran, Jess (25 April 2010). "New Storm Brewing".The Sunday mail.p. 15.
- ^Honeysett, Stuart (23 April 2010)."Shocking end to the Melbourne Storm era".The Australian.Retrieved22 April2010.
- ^Rakic, Josh (23 April 2010)."Melbourne Storm salary cap scandal".The Sydney Morning Herald.Retrieved23 April2010.
- ^"Brian Waldron admits he was to blame for the Melbourne Storm salary cap scandal".foxsports.com.au. 16 November 2022.Retrieved16 November2022.
- ^Munro, Ian (23 April 2010)."Melbourne Storm stripped of everything".The Age.Retrieved23 April2010.
- ^Firkin, Katherine (23 April 2010)."Fans are feeling the pain of Melbourne Storm's penalty".Herald Sun.Retrieved23 April2010.
- ^DeKroo, Karl (22 April 2010)."How Melbourne Storm bought its way to the top with salary cap rort".The Courier Mail.Retrieved22 April2010.
- ^"Storm stripped of 2 NRL premierships".Television New Zealand.AAP.22 April 2010.Retrieved23 October2011.
- ^"Explosive files detailing secret payments to Melbourne Storm players exposed".Heraldsun website (www.heraldsun.com.au).Retrieved9 May2010.
- ^abc "Thunderstruck- News Ltd shelves plans to sell Storm".Brisbane Times.23 April 2010.Retrieved9 May2010.
- ^"Storm clearing in proud Melbourne".Foxtel.Retrieved9 May2010.
- ^Hamilton, Adam (23 April 2010)."Spoon-fed punters skin bookmakers".Herald Sun.Retrieved22 April2010.
- ^Hendy, Nina (29 April 2010)."Sponsorship deals tipped to come Storming back".The Age.Retrieved8 August2021.
- ^"Melbourne Storm membership surge".The Age.29 April 2010.Retrieved9 May2010.
- ^"Storm salary cap rort report handed to police".Retrieved25 May2023.
- ^"Melbourne Storm salary breaches worse than first thought".ABC.15 July 2010.Retrieved23 July2010.
- ^Melbourne Storm Executives Wont Be Charged With Fraud Related OffencesHerald Sun[dead link]
- ^"Final Report: Storm Salary Cap investigation".11 May 2011.
- ^"Melbourne Storm beat Canterbury Bulldogs in 2012 NRL grand final | News.com.au".Retrieved25 May2023.
- ^"Melbourne Storm ready for more success after beating Leeds Rhinos in World Club Challenge | thetelegraph.com.au".Retrieved25 May2023.
- ^Crawley, Paul (1 March 2015)."Predicted NRL top eight: Melbourne Storm and Manly Sea Eagles miss out".The Daily Telegraph.Retrieved17 February2024.
- ^"Parramatta Eels salary cap investigation findings to be handed down by the NRL".ABC News.ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). 3 May 2016.Retrieved3 May2016.
- ^Brunsdon, Simon (3 May 2016)."Parramatta Eels players will not be forced out amid cap drama, promises RLPA".Fox Sports Australia.Retrieved3 May2016.
- ^"Parramatta Eels docked 12 points and fined $1m for NRL salary cap breaches".The Guardian.3 May 2016.Retrieved3 May2016.
- ^"Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy stands firm over 2007 grand final result".28 July 2017.
- ^"Melbourne Storm players gather to mark 10 years since 2007 NRL premiership".
- ^"Billy Slater says decision still up in the air about retirement".24 July 2018.
- ^"Storm's stripped titles won't be reinstated on Greenberg's watch".www.foxsports.com.au.13 March 2019.
- ^"Gallen rebukes Smith's salary cap calls".www.thecourier.com.au.10 March 2019.
- ^"'They are ours': Why Cameron Smith will always recognise Storm's stripped premierships ".Fox Sports.31 July 2019.
- ^"The NRL club that could land comeback star, Storm's controversial shirts banned".wwos.nine.com.au.
- ^"'Plain wrong': Ex-NRL boss hits back at Smith after Storm skipper slams NRL's handling of cap saga ".www.foxsports.com.au.16 November 2020.
- ^"Melbourne Storm labelled 'absolute grubs' over plans to celebrate stripped titles".www.news.com.au.
- ^"Grant and Hughes masterclasses lead Storm to statement win as Eels drop out of eight: Big Hits".www.foxsports.com.au.28 July 2023.