Four agents named in report on Storm rort

[BIG JIM]

FOUR of rugby league's biggest player agents, who together represent a huge proportion of NRL and representative stars, could be expelled from the game after being named in an NRL report relating to serious allegations regarding the Melbourne Storm salary cap breach.

The agents are understood to be: David Riolo, a director at Titan Management, Isaac Moses, a Titan agent, George Mimis, managing director of SFX Sports Australia, and Allan Gainey, who manages Test centre Greg Inglis. Their names are understood to feature in the report, tabled at the Rugby League Accredited Player Agent Scheme committee meeting on Thursday night. The committee chairman, Geoff Bellew, SC, said in a statement yesterday that legal counsel had been engaged to advise whether ''evidence is sufficient to warrant disciplinary action being taken against any one or more player agents''. Bellew indicated that hearings could then take place.

If it could be proved that an agent knew of or participated in the salary cap rort, that agent could be stripped of accreditation to manage players. "I have not seen the brief of evidence at this stage, nor has any member of the committee, however, we have been informed in broad terms of the allegations against a number of player agents which, in my view, are serious," Bellew said.

"In the event that the view is taken that there is sufficient evidence, and if proceedings are brought, I envisage that counsel will then assist the committee in any hearing that takes place," Bellew said.

The NRL last April removed two premierships and more than $1.1 million in prizemoney from the Storm after the club was found to have cheated the salary cap by $1.7 million over five years.

A later report by the accounting company Deloitte, released in summary in July by Melbourne's owner, News Ltd, said the total value of the breaches was in fact $3.17 million.

That report identified Gainey and Moses, who represents Storm captain Cameron Smith, as having signed two contracts for their respective clients. It also named Mimis, who represents Melbourne fullback Billy Slater, but noted that he did not sign a ''side'' letter. All have maintained their innocence.

Riolo has now been linked with the scandal for the first time. He represented then Storm players Ryan Hoffman and Matt Geyer during the five-year period under investigation but details of his alleged complicity were unclear last night.

Banning agents from acting for NRL players could throw the game into chaos behind the scenes.

With Sam Ayoub, whose future is understood to be clouded after he bet on a game now at the centre of a police and NSW Crime Commission investigation, the four represent almost half of all NRL players.

Among Riolo's and Moses's large NRL stable at Titan are dozens of league players including Smith, Todd Carney, Josh and Brett Morris, Paul Gallen, Willie Tonga, Michael Jennings and Feleti Mateo.

Mimis's SFX Sports manages, among others, Slater, Australian captain Darren Lockyer, Justin Hodges, Mark Gasnier, Anthony Watmough, Darius Boyd and Ben Creagh. He is also handling contract negotiations for Dragons coach Wayne Bennett.

Mimis and Riolo declined to comment last night. Gainey and Moses did not return calls.

[Go Storm]

But of course all other teams and players contracts are 100% legit

[Bourbon Rat]

Interesting that there is no word from Gallop,who when the involvement of agents was brought up during last years drama,was quite vocal & adamant that it was ALL the players responsibility when it came to signatures on contracts

I would LOVE to see the contracts of ALL those agents clients scrutinised.

By an 'independent' audit firm of course

[Go Storm]

What's more interesting is that we haven't heard SFA from Gallop ever since News said they're pulling out of the NRL in April. He knows his days are numbered

[bula]

I like the part where the managers signed two contracts for Smith.
Some big names there, a lot will be questioning their deals now.

[Go Storm]

I like the part where the managers signed two contracts for Smith.
Some big names there, a lot will be questioning their deals now.

I doubt it. As Bourbon Rat said, Gallop's silence shows his and Schubert's lack of interest in this matter.

I wonder if they'd strip Manly of 2008 and Brisbane of 2006 premierships, and St.George of 2010 minor premiership or whether it'd be easier to just reinstate Storm's accolades and move on?

[Michael :P]

So far we''ve had the players, coaches and agents blamed for the rorts. Something or some-one is missing..........

[Tigger]

What's more interesting is that we haven't heard SFA from Gallop ever since News said they're pulling out of the NRL in April. He knows his days are numbered

Apparently he's staying on in his current position when this all happens - I'm betting things wont really change much at all with him still at the helm

[Bourbon Rat]

Apparently he's staying on in his current position when this all happens - I'm betting things wont really change much at all with him still at the helm

Just means he goes from being a manipulated mouthpiece to an Easter bunny with nervous sphincter muscles

[StormFront]

Ironic it gets tabled now, just another move to throw more mud at Storm at the start of the season.
Why has it taken so long to be tabled and why was this not dealt with in the off season?

The real people who created this mess imho will never be dealt with on the same level that
was thrown at Storm players, staff and supporters.

Those that masterminded this mess have become to an extent "The Untouchables" because to expose
this for what it really is would mean the fall of the NRL. We all suspect it goes it on, we all suspect that
the majority of clubs continue to do this and we suspect that it will continue into the future.

[onlooker]

Ironic it gets tabled now, just another move to throw more mud at Storm at the start of the season.
Why has it taken so long to be tabled and why was this not dealt with in the off season?

The real people who created this mess imho will never be dealt with on the same level that
was thrown at Storm players, staff and supporters.

Those that masterminded this mess have become to an extent "The Untouchables" because to expose
this for what it really is would mean the fall of the NRL. We all suspect it goes it on, we all suspect that
the majority of clubs continue to do this and we suspect that it will continue into the future.

Haha alright then.

[LESStar58]

Let's not beat around the bush here.... look at the stable of deadset superstars these 4 represent. If they were part of the rort that went on at Storm then imagine what else they could have negotiated for all the other stars they represent that was beyond the cap!

Remember Waldron saying he'd give testimony before a hearing to tell what he knows about salary cap rorting? I think all clubs need to be audited and that he might have a bit of info that most identities will be shitting themselves over.

[LESStar58]

What's more interesting is that we haven't heard SFA from Gallop ever since News said they're pulling out of the NRL in April. He knows his days are numbered

Apparently he's staying on in his current position when this all happens - I'm betting things wont really change much at all with him still at the helm

Of course he will. Remember when it was reported that Gallop is alleged to have told Waldron "you don't leave the family"?

News will be desperate for Gallop to be CEO when the IC starts because at least they know he'll still be around to let Fox have the PTV rights for a pittance and the game will be lima lima lima duck over a barrel again. They all look after their own.

[LESStar58]

I like the part where the managers signed two contracts for Smith.
Some big names there, a lot will be questioning their deals now.

I doubt it. As Bourbon Rat said, Gallop's silence shows his and Schubert's lack of interest in this matter.

I wonder if they'd strip Manly of 2008 and Brisbane of 2006 premierships, and St.George of 2010 minor premiership or whether it'd be easier to just reinstate Storm's accolades and move on?

Neither will happen.

Let's say Manly and Brisbane are found to have breached (and remember that there was a precedent set after the Dogs in 2002 where if you breached by 200K you'd have action taken against you) it's a lose-lose situation for the NRL and the current administration. You can strip the 2006 and 2008 premierships leaving you with 4 years of "unworthy" premiers. Or, you can say "Sorry, we erred tremendously by stripping 2007 and 2009 off Melbourne beacuse NOW we know everyone else cheats" and give them back officially.

Either way, Gallop and his lackeys end up looking as stupid and as incompetent as we all know them to be and the game as a whole becomes a laughing stock.

[onlooker]

I think anybody that attacks Gallop or News for the poor things they have done without acknowledged all the good things both have done for the game are a laughing stock themselves.

But i am in Sydney and get to hear more about what is going on and this kind of anger towards the NRL is good for the sake of Storm fans in Melbourne rallying behind the team at home games.