Storm Cloud: Greed, Betrayal and Success

[LESStar58]

http://www.bookworld.com.au/book/storm- ... /39757540/

Melbourne Storm was created in 1998 and situated in the heartland of a rival football code, it won three NRL premierships from five Grand Finals in its first twelve seasons and produced the best players in the game. It was the envy of clubs everywhere. But in 2010 Storm's famed winning culture was exposed as a fraud. The club had cheated. The club had consistently rorted the NRL's salary cap. Justice seemed hard and fast. They were fined and stripped of their trophies. A few in club management were fired, some club directors left and player managers were given suspensions. That was it. No one was charged. Storm played out that season with admirable resolve, despite playing for no reward. In the following two seasons Melbourne Storm fought back and in 2012 won the Grand Final. The rise, fall and rise of Melbourne Storm happened in a heartbeat, yet what actually took place? Stormclouds answers the question as it reveals the hidden story, with much untold to be revealed.

[Woody]

Does anyone know anything about the author? I havent heard of Paul Kennedy before that I can think of so I`m sort of wondering if he is someone who might actually know something or is he just another biased NSW News Limited stooge trying to pass off his book as journalism and making a name for himself at Storm`s expense.

[LESStar58]

This should give you somewhat of an idea. The bold part shows he's no half arse journo.

http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/leag ... 2pik5.html

it was the scandal that shocked Australian sport, and now a new book will lift the lid on the Melbourne Storm salary-cap scandal. Paul Kennedy has just penned Storm Cloud, which chronicles the entire history of the NRL club. But the focus will undoubtedly be on the events of 2010, which led to them being stripped of the major and minor premierships for salary-cap rorting. Kennedy, who co-wrote Hell on the Way to Heaven - an expose´ of clergy sex abuse central to a parliamentary inquiry - interviewed more than 100 people for his latest book. ''I feel like I've got the full story,'' Kennedy said. ''The majority of the people at the club were happy to speak, some anonymously.

''The aim of the book is to shed light on just what happened at that footy club and get as close to the truth as possible. The reader will walk away understanding more of the context of the amazing events and the roles of different people in it.'' Storm Cloud will be released on August 1.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/leag ... z2ZGu9fGGf

[Woody]

Thanks Lesstar, if he has established cred as a decent journo then it might be that he can answer a lot of the questions that so many fans and others with an interest in the club have been hoping to have answered since then

[stormy bill]

He is an ABC journo from the Frankston area.He has an Aussie rules background so maybe he knows a bit about Waldren.

[thinga87]

Paul Kennedy is an ABC journo and the book is published by Hardie Grant. No ties to News in either circumstance.

[Ice]

So who's getting it? I can understand if some wouldn't want to read it but i will. I doubt it'll be the massive tell all in the description and won't find out much more than we already know but should be interesting enough all the same.

[thinga87]

I'll be reading it. I know it will open up old wounds and cause some grief again, but the story needs to be told and expanded from just the "official" version. I hope Brian and/or Cameron Vale have told at least part of their side of the story.

How much of a distraction this could be from this year's finals though, remains to be seen...

[Go Storm]

So who's getting it? I can understand if some wouldn't want to read it but i will. I doubt it'll be the massive tell all in the description and won't find out much more than we already know but should be interesting enough all the same.

I agree with your cinicism but will read it also.
Without true facts from the likes of Waldron, Hartigan and Hanson, and statistics from Delloites, it's merely the 'official' story mixed with a bit of speculation.

[stormy]

When someone has read the book can you give a short summary on here please.
Unless all the morons who were involved in the rort give us the truth I think we won`t get any more info than what we were served up in the papers, radio, TV during our darkest season.

[LESStar58]

Paul Kennedy is an ABC journo and the book is published by Hardie Grant. No ties to News in either circumstance.

Someone else is in the book trade, are they?

[glennb]

I just starting reading this book. It starts with the clubs history, how Ribot put the team together, how we won in 1999, the Murray years, how Griffith and Murray got Smith, Cronk and Slater. So far I am enjoying it, and it is a really good read.

[stormy]

thanks Glenn.

[glennb]

I am up to the 2008 grand final loss. Cameron Vale is coming off as the poor man who know that things were wrong, but was just doing as he was told. Peter O'Sullivan is coming off as the one saying just do it, they will never find it.

Waldron is being shown as doing everything wrong. There was a clause in his contract with News, that he Storm went over the cap and were fined by the NRL he would be shacked. Storm were over the cap and fined most years in was the CEO, but the News board said he could stay, because Hartigain keep telling the board he was doing good things.

One piece I found very interesting was at the start of the GI contract resigning, there was a meeting with GI, his manager, Storm people and NRL staff. One of these people was Gallop (so GI manager said). The original contract with the new money, boat, third party deals and rent assistance for his parents was put on the table. Nothing was signed or agreed to but was discussed as the way to keep GI in the NRL.

Gallop denies be able to remember the being at the meeting. He seems able to remember a lot of other things about what he said or did not say to Waldron, but no this meeting.

Interesting.

[LESStar58]

Wait, wait, wait..... If storm were over the cap Waldron would be sacked? But for all intents and purposes the Storm were never officially over the cap until it all came out in 2010... But Hartigan still supported Waldron during his tenure.