NRL Salary Cap increased - Storm still have to lose their stars

[billythekidslater]

Bad news for the Storm - Forensic accountants confirm they are at least $1.2 million over the cap for 2011!

http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,865 ... 66,00.html

NRL salary cap will be increased by $4.8 million next season
By Phil Rothfield
May 30, 2010


In a huge victory for players, the NRL salary cap will be increased by $4.8 million across the 16 clubs next season, but it still won't allow Melbourne Storm to keep all their stars.

The Storm's current player roster is $850,000 over the cap this year, but a staggering $1.2 million for 2011.

In a major boost for players, each club will be allowed to spend an extra $300,000 next year as a result of the NRL’s recently negotiated $45 million contract over 10 years with the NSW Government to keep the grand final in Sydney.

NRL management has decided to give the clubs an extra $3.2 million ($200,000 each) in grants from the $4.5 million a year that will be coming from the Labor Government coffers.

On top of the grants, they will be allowed to spend an extra $100,000 on players.

NRL boss David Gallop will wait until after the upcoming chief executives meeting to confirm the biggest salary cap increase since the Super League war.

The game's hierarchy has been under huge pressure to increase player payments since the Storm salary cap rorting was exposed.

Gallop has personally met with more than a dozen of the game's biggest names in recent weeks to discuss salaries and ways to increase payments without putting struggling clubs in danger of collapse.

"We've always been willing to listen to the players and their concerns," Gallop said.

"At our last CEOs' meeting, we agreed the clubs would put some ideas and proposals together to improve the salary cap.

"That's our next step and obviously the money we are getting from the government deal to keep grand finals in Sydney will be part of our next lot of discussions."

But the Storm are still likely to have to offload one of their big four players, Cameron Smith, Billy Slater, Greg Inglis or Cooper Cronk, following revelations that their salary cap cheating only gets worse next season.

Salary cap auditor Ian Schubert and forensic accountants have discovered Storm officials were planning to spend $5.3 million next year.

The club has already off-loaded Aiden Tolman ($250,000) to the Bulldogs and Brett Finch ($150,000) is expected to announce he is leaving within days.

That leaves Storm with $4.9 million on their books for 2011 and means they will have to lose another $500,000 worth of players to get back to the increased $4.4 million salary cap.

Kiwi international Jeff Lima ($200,000) is also expected to leave.

A salary cap increase will put life back into a player market that has been slow because clubs have been waiting to see which Storm players will go onto the market and find out how much they will have to spend next year.

It will also help St George Illawarra in their bid to sign centre Mark Gasnier for a minimal amount this year and back-end the deal into the next two seasons.

[The Eagle]

Obvious troll is obvious,this has no new news that everybody doesnt already know
just a paper fluffer peice to make up page space

[stormsally]

I love

Brett Finch ($150,000) is expected to announce he is leaving within days.

since he has been saying since the start of the year that he isn't playing for the Storm next year and

Kiwi international Jeff Lima ($200,000) is also expected to leave.

Lima was given a release to look for another club before the cap issue was exposed!

I'm not complaining about having an extra $100,000 to spend on players - that will mean we can keep a fraction more talent, but I'm also interested in this part: 

It will also help St George Illawarra in their bid to sign centre Mark Gasnier for a minimal amount this year and back-end the deal into the next two seasons.

- so maybe it is a Gasnier agreement??

What I love is the figures being bandied around - how much players are being played (surely speculation??) and the results of the audit, that are not released. 

[The Eagle]

Ever wonder if the Storm actually payed these players a cent over the cap?
it could just well be the underwritings of 3rd party sponsorship

Facts should be released so the world can see if he was really that dirty or just plain stupid

[Bourbon Rat]

Ever wonder if the Storm actually payed these players a cent over the cap?
it could just well be the underwritings of 3rd party sponsorship

Facts should be released so the world can see if he was really that dirty or just plain stupid

I'd almost bet the farm on the cap blowout being a combo of 3rd party underwrite & back ended contracts starting to bite - Which leads you to wonder about all the back ended contracts at 'other clubs' ? Since this is now almost universal practice in medium/long term sports contracts.

Just a tad annoyed at ...............
A: An 'extended time frame' for the forensic audit &
B: Constant use of the media by Gallop/News to throw around unsubstantiated figures & dollar values,(whilst ensuring sweetheart deals for players that deserted the code  ) - Annoyed but not surprised 

[Michael :P]

Whatever the increase, half of it should be used to pump Sika' contract up and split the other half between new 2 squad players.

[Super Cronk]

Whatever the increase, half of it should be used to pump Sika' contract up and split the other half between 2 squad players.

i agree.

[LESStar58]

SO the week the AFL throw 1.3 million a season at Folau the NRL increase the cap by a meagre 300K?

No wonder our game is a lima lima lima duck laughing stock! The cap should be at least 6 million.

[Woody]

Whatever the increase, half of it should be used to pump Sika' contract up and split the other half between new 2 squad players.

+1000 Have to keep Sika

[CooperCronk]

Whatever the increase, half of it should be used to pump Sika' contract up and split the other half between new 2 squad players.

+1000 Have to keep Sika

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