Rugby League Week Magazine

[Tigger]

I've just heard from someone up north that Mark Geyer has written a 'pretty ordinary' article re Storm in this weeks mag.
Anyone here got a copy they can scan & put up?
I'm about to head to the newsagent to see if I can find a copy but I don't want to buy one - as someone said "I don't want to increase their profits".
If the article is as bad as I'm told - we can get the power of the Bai Stand happening again 

[Tempest]

Who taught Mark to write?

[stormsally]

It's not worth the effort to scan it - a pretty typical article - Storm are cheats - they should be forced to give a player to each of the other clubs, then play on with their remaining players.  It isn't worth reading.  I've decided not to read, or at least take to hart alot of the anti-storm histeria. 
In RLW's defence, there is another article that is pro Storm - fans etc so they are probably going for a balance to not offend anyone.

[LESStar58]

I did watch a little bit of the MJ Show last Thursday and he was on controversy corner and he was questioning continuing to promote the Storm at the expense of traditional RL areas like the Central Coast.

No doubt it's the same thing in this article. I won't be reading it as I'm stearing clear of RLW for the rest of the year but I have a lot of respect for MG because he doesn't beat around the bush. LOVED it when he layed into SBW earlier this year and Khunt last year.

He generally makes some very good arguments.

[Crippstor]

I said this earlier this week

"Personally I believe there is a reason that the other 15 CEO's did not even complain about playing against an illegal team and all publicly supported Gallop.
They were promised something for their support and in my opinion it was this.
At seasons end our top 15 players will be sent off, with our number 1 player going to the team that finished 15th, 2nd to 14th etc etc. As we have to pay them, the other teams will need no extra cap room and we will have to get by with 25 players on minimum wage, ie $1.5 million meaning we will be under the cap for 2011" in another thread.

Haven't seen MG's article but from what I read it seems to closely mirror my prediction and I am now getting close to betting money on this happening.
Remember that meeting of the 15 other CEO's was only with Gallop, no News Ltd people were in on it. If News exits the ownership of the game as they had planned,  ( the plan was to continue to ensure we were supported for at least 5 years ), and an independent comission is put in during this year, then I personally believe that you will see this announced which will come as a complete surprise to News but by then it will be too late to do anything about it.
We all know we ( as a club ) did the wrong thing but I think we need to organise to put pressure on at every level to have the NRL come clean on exactly what they want us to do to be able to comepete for points in 2011, especially if the report I have read that we are only 230K over for next year is actually true which as well know would be covered by the loss of Finchy, Lima and Tolman

[Ice]

You don't possibly believe that's going to happen do you crippstor? To do that would open up all manner of legal cans of worms in regards to the players current contracts. Do you honestly think they're gonna just sit back and be told where they have to go? Also how long do you think news would keep backing the Storm if it did? They wouldn't which would spell the end for us which in turn would be a massive blow for the NRL.

It won't happen. No chance and I'd be more than happy to bet my life savings on it.

[Crippstor]

You have to remember that the NRL in it's current form will not be around much longer and if the ARL affiliated members of the NRL  board push enough then yes I do believe this will happen, that is why I believe it is so important to show support and fight as well as demanding that Gallop et al announce exactly what we have to do to play in 2011, and I mean announce it now, not at seasons end

[Ice]

Nobody knows when the independant will come in, it could be a few months or it could be another year. Regardless of what form the governing body will be in, a Melbourne side is imperative for a successful and truly national comp and if they rip it apart like you think they will I bet my left nut the News will pull the pin straight away and we die. If/when news do leave the owning of the comp side of things surely you don't think they wouldn't make rigid stipulations that would protect the storm from being ambushed in ways you've suggested? Even before this mess when they were talking of getting out they said they'd only do so if they had certain gaurantees that the storm will remain viable in the comp and be supported til they can stand on their own 2 feet. You'd think after all this Mess they'd be even more firm on laying ground rules.

From my understanding the nrl have made it clear that if we can operate under the cap by next year then we can and will play for points. I'm sure they've told news exactly what is required for that to happen so I think you might be looking far too much onto it. I do agree though it's still very important that we keep up our support if nothing more to get sponsors back on board and to let the boys know we're behind them.

[Bourbon Rat]

Your ears must be glued on 
The chief bean counter & AFL mouthpiece has stated at every opportunity that.
We HAVE to LOSE players
The players ARE NOT allowed to take pay cuts
Existing contracts,(which oddly the NRL say are ILLEGAL ? ) MUST be honoured in fuul ?

Not that the ARL has an agenda or anything 

Strange don't you think that a figure of $700,000 for the coming season,(which was verified by the NRL audit team) is now being mentioned,(by an EXTERNAL auditor) as 240,000

but hey....................I'm a Victorian Storm fan so I must be
A : A Cheat
B : A Liar
C : Not a REAL fan of rugby league

Angry still ? HELL YES !!

I buy & read RLW every week,then it's passed on to a bloke at work,who passes it on to his father,(who's sports mad).Then it comes back to work & more blokes read it.Most of these blokes are AFL fans,but they now enjoy keeping up with what's going on in RL.
A lot of the time it has an anti Storm bent,although this time a few idiot suits & bean countera not only gave them ammunition they loaded & aimed the bloody thing.
For what it's worth I think Mark Geyer is guilty of a massive over reaction,(just as Gallop was)
Maybe those 'star' players would have gone to other clubs,but I've seen & heard the players talk about the club being 'family' & about how they are happy outside the goldfish bowl that is the NSW & QLD RL scene. You can't really all those players have been spinning a yarn for 13 years can you ? And don't get me started on the juniors that have roll off the Storm production line.

So......................We should disband all this & give it to a bunch of clubs that have lived off poker machine money,(and according to a growing number of their own Brown paper bag handouts) & have a vested interest in reverting to the old two state league ?

Rant over 

[Crippstor]

From my understanding the nrl have made it clear that if we can operate under the cap by next year then we can and will play for points.

Actually Gallop has quite plainly said that taking pay cuts is not enough. To me that says "you are going to lose players".
I realise News would pull the pin if what I am predicting comes true , what I am saying is that I do not think that News are being told the whole story by the NRL and in particular the ARL faction on that board who would like nothing more than it reverting to a 2 state comp so they can allkeep their cushy jobs regardless of what it may cost the game as a whole. I know the game needs us and it needs expansion to get a better TV deal, but those with vested interests in seeing us die off are still going to get paid even if the game does suffer.
I for one do not want to see those sort of people win or even involved in the game, especially as my family has a link to the game that stretches back over 75 years

[LESStar58]

Nobody knows when the independant will come in, it could be a few months or it could be another year. Regardless of what form the governing body will be in, a Melbourne side is imperative for a successful and truly national comp and if they rip it apart like you think they will I bet my left nut the News will pull the pin straight away and we die. If/when news do leave the owning of the comp side of things surely you don't think they wouldn't make rigid stipulations that would protect the storm from being ambushed in ways you've suggested? Even before this mess when they were talking of getting out they said they'd only do so if they had certain gaurantees that the storm will remain viable in the comp and be supported til they can stand on their own 2 feet. You'd think after all this Mess they'd be even more firm on laying ground rules.

From my understanding the nrl have made it clear that if we can operate under the cap by next year then we can and will play for points. I'm sure they've told news exactly what is required for that to happen so I think you might be looking far too much onto it. I do agree though it's still very important that we keep up our support if nothing more to get sponsors back on board and to let the boys know we're behind them.

The independent commission will be a dismal failure if it is rushed. Given the state of our current leadership they'll probably prison lima lima lima duck the whole thing.

[Tigger]

Found a newsagent who had the mag, read the 'article', totally think big MG should be shot for being an asshole  :x
He was sooo bloody vicious in his writing and made the argument that if other clubs are doing it then give them evidence or shut up....(I agree there should be evidence presented but the NRL just don't seem to be looking at anyone else )
Not a nice piece at all.

On another note - it just gets worserer and worserer  :'(

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/melbo ... 5860803261

Melbourne Storm salary rort grows


THE NRL heard tonight Melbourne Storm had broken the salary cap by 20 per cent more than officials originally confessed to.

NRL salary cap auditor Ian Schubert and a team of forensic accountants have uncovered more evidence of rorting and fraud that lifts this year's player salaries to $4.95 million.

There are now fears payments for this season will burst through $5 million by the time investigations are completed.

Original estimates, which came from the confessions of sacked CEO Matt Hansen, indicated the club was $700,000 over the cap this year, having spent $4.8 million.

[bula]

5 million? Wtf! Where's all that money going?!?
Its frustrating not knowing how bad this could get.

[Tempest]

Waaaaait just a damn minute.

"Yes, I can confirm it's now up to $850,000 for this year alone," NRL boss David Gallop said yesterday.

"More information has come to light over the past seven days and the investigation has another couple of weeks to run. It's going to take some time to finalise the figures."

Gallop said the fact that the amount of the rorting continued to rise justified the NRL's heavy punishment in not allowing Storm to compete for premiership points this season.


"This highlights the flaws in what some people were suggesting, that the club simply shreds a few players, goes back to zero, and starts again," Gallop said.

"At first it was $700,000 worth of players, now it's $850,000. The figures are still a couple of weeks off being finalised. We can't put a figure on what it's going to finish up.

That's a bit f*cking convenient, don't you think?

[BIG JIM]

Its been quite conveniant for John Hartigan this week,with him having to be in the Courts in Melbourne  for the unfair dismissal case.Killing 2 Birds with one Stone