The Annual "Wrestling" Media Attack on the Storm

Discussion on anything to do with Melbourne Storm - games, players, rumours - anything!
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Danger D
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glennb wrote: Thu Oct 29, 2020 10:53 am Just heard the words of a Sydney media person; "Penrith were the best team of the season" . So now the team that wins the grand final is not the best team. It would not be the case if the Roosters, Raiders or Rabbits won.
I actually think the Panthers were the best team of the season (if you look at it as a whole). They only lost two games and one of them happened to be the Grand Final. But that's not how premierships are decided in the NRL.
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If it was, we'd actually have more premierships. We've been minor premiers 7 times. Just saying that if the Sydney media wants to spruik that line, we can counter it with that.
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Blog with Hoops: Can we cut the fairytales, Cam? The Storm cheated and got caught. The End.
Little Baldy
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16 Nov 2020

Cameron Smith will be remembered as one of the greatest players in history but he’ll never be in danger of winning a popularity contest.

The champion hooker’s refusal to concede the Storm deserved to be stripped of two premierships is as delusional as it is misguided.

Talk about a poor attempt at re-writing history.

Rival clubs have long sneered at the Storm for continuing to celebrate the 2007 and 2009 premierships irrespective of being caught rorting the salary cap to the tune of $3.78 million over five seasons.

It is the height of arrogance.

It’s also a huge part of why the Storm as a club is so widely disliked.

From the replica trophies the club has sported at Storm headquarters to the premierships being listed on commemorative jerseys and t-shirts, none of it means anything.

The reality is the Storm made four consecutive grand finals from 2006 to 2009 with a team running two sets of books - one which was a red manila folder of secret payments to star players kept off the club premises.

It doesn’t matter if the players didn’t know. Although there is an argument most people know exactly where every dollar in their pay packet is coming from.

It doesn’t matter if every other club in the NRL supposedly does the same thing.

The club was rorting the system deluxe and got caught. The end.

Neither the 2020 grand final or the last time Melbourne won a premiership in 2017 are likely to appear on too many highlights reels in years to come.

As far as classic grand finals go, with the exception of a Ryan Papenhuyzen flash of genius they were bludgers of games.

The 2012 grand final is probably best remembered for when James Graham went Hannibal Lecter on Billy Slater’s nose.

Taking nothing away from the Storm for these three premierships though.

They earned them through sweat, hard yakka and talent. They were deserved.

But let’s get some context here.

The 2009, 2007 and 2006 grand finals was when we saw some of the Storm’s most entertaining football.

It was also when the club had systematically acquired a hugely unfair advantage over other clubs.

Just because other clubs who’ve been caught rorting the system in recent years – Parramatta and Cronulla - haven’t been punished as hard doesn’t mean you get to keep the Provan Summons trophies.

Take that one up with Todd Greenberg.

It’s certainly not David Gallop’s fault. That’s just shooting the messenger.
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RL media's biggest flog trying to stay relevant in the off-season :roll:
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Little Baldy wrote: Mon Nov 16, 2020 1:06 pmTalk about a poor attempt at re-writing history.
Rich!
Little Baldy wrote: Mon Nov 16, 2020 1:06 pmIt is the height of arrogance.
Even richer!
blazza18
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Dude dribbles so much shit haha.
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yourhero wrote: Mon Nov 16, 2020 1:06 pm Just because other clubs who’ve been caught rorting the system in recent years – Parramatta and Cronulla - haven’t been punished as hard doesn’t mean you get to keep the Provan Summons trophies.
Well that's not true, Parramatta were stripped of their Auckland 9s title :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Noone admits the Storm were'nt cheating the cap, the severity of, and the way the punishment was given is the issue.

I could easily break that article down and counter all his "points", but I won't waste my time.
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yourhero wrote: Mon Nov 16, 2020 1:06 pmNeither the 2020 grand final or the last time Melbourne won a premiership in 2017 are likely to appear on too many highlights reels in years to come.

As far as classic grand finals go, with the exception of a Ryan Papenhuyzen flash of genius they were bludgers of games.

The 2012 grand final is probably best remembered for when James Graham went Hannibal Lecter on Billy Slater’s nose.

Taking nothing away from the Storm for these three premierships though.
Let me tell you how boring the Storm wins were - "but taking nothing away from them!" - F*ckwit.

Storm 2017-2020 are the most exciting we have ever been. Our attacking flair has been as good as any team in the League. Better I would argue. We scored more long range tries than any other team and by a fair margin from memory. 2012 in particular was a great battle with a number of brilliant moments deciding the game. Cronk's pass to Slater for that try was one of the best worked plays you will ever see in RL. Slater coming from behind to knock the ball dead before Morris could score. As per usual, Hooper is simply reaching to justify his hate. Or "re-writing history" as he would put it :roll:
yourhero wrote: Mon Nov 16, 2020 1:06 pmThe 2009, 2007 and 2006 grand finals was when we saw some of the Storm’s most entertaining football.

It was also when the club had systematically acquired a hugely unfair advantage over other clubs.
They were only entertaining when they were cheating!!! :roll" No, you just have your shiny, bald head up your ass.
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As I said he's such a dribbler. I'd be far more entertained and heated if an adult journalist hated us. Instead we have this dickhead trying to be different.
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Pole wrote: Mon Nov 16, 2020 2:02 pm
yourhero wrote: Mon Nov 16, 2020 1:06 pm Just because other clubs who’ve been caught rorting the system in recent years – Parramatta and Cronulla - haven’t been punished as hard doesn’t mean you get to keep the Provan Summons trophies.
Well that's not true, Parramatta were stripped of their Auckland 9s title :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

More than anything the Parra fans wanted to be stripped of the spoon they got that year. :lol:
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I thought they just got stripped of hope come finals time when we beat them every year 😂😂😂
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Cameron Smith defends controversial changeroom act

Cameron Smith has defended his role in a changeroom gesture this season that sparked heavy backlash against the Melbourne Storm.

James Matthey
news.com.au
18 Nov 2020

Cameron Smith has defended his changeroom address to the Warriors this season, saying there was nothing sinister about his gesture and claiming he had no idea the intimate moment was being filmed.

The Warriors relocated to Australia in 2020 because of COVID-19 in order to keep the NRL season alive, making the huge sacrifice of separating from their families for the good of the competition.

In June, coach Stephen Kearney was sacked and then days later the Storm hammered the Warriors 50-6 in Round 7. After the game, cameras caught Smith and Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy addressing their dejected rivals in their changeroom, thanking the Warriors for giving up so much.

Some critics said it was poor form, accusing the Storm of invading the Warriors’ space and being condescending. The match was Todd Payten’s first as head coach of an NRL side and he was shattered after suffering such a heavy loss, painting a despondent figure in the corner while Smith and Bellamy spoke.

Some pundits suggested their thanks would have been the last thing Payten wanted to hear after copping such a hiding.

In his newly released autobiography The Storm Within, Smith couldn’t understand why some people were upset with his speech, and said the very reason he paid tribute to the Warriors off the field was because he wasn’t seeking any attention.

“We owed them a lot,” Smith writes. “The least we could do was thank them, as other clubs had done.

“Other teams had delivered a tribute on the field, but that wasn’t my style. I’m not saying there was anything wrong with that, but if you’ve read this far (in the book) you’ll have realised I don’t do things to get pats on the back.”

Smith thanked the Warriors, acknowledged the pride they have in their jersey and encouraged them to “keep your heads up and look after each other”.

“That’s all I said,” Smith writes. “The next day, we were hammered by some in the media for rubbing their noses in it after winning the game. I didn’t expect anything less!

“The Warriors were shattered after the loss, but they weren’t hostile towards us at all.

“We didn’t go in there out of pity. We were thanking them for what they were doing.

“If I’d seen the camera in the corner of the dressing room, I would’ve covered it up. For starters, it got a great shot of the bald spot on the back of my head.

“Second, I didn’t want the media to see a private moment between us and the Warriors.”
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yourhero wrote: Wed Nov 18, 2020 12:51 pmCameron Smith defends controversial changeroom act
What the f*ck was controversial about it? Other than it was Cameron Smith and the regular f*ckwits in the media somehow found a way to twist a genuine, heartfelt thank you, into some kind of dark, selfish act?

The same act that another player did the week before and other teams had done in various ways before.

This is a perfectly clear example of how biased and petty the Rugby League media are.
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‘Dipped into the sewer’: Cam Smith roasted over book circus amid mystery media blackout
Simon Brunsdon
Fox Sports
17 Nov 2020

Melbourne champion Cameron Smith launched his autobiography this week but the book has caused more controversy than it’s put to bed.
He holds the games record for professional rugby league in Australia, has been a star for the Storm, Maroons, and Kangaroos, and is guaranteed to be inducted as an Immortal at some stage post retirement.

And yet Smith continues to divide rugby league.

It was hoped his new book - The Storm Within - could delve into some of the biggest moments of his career and shed new light.

Instead in the past few days he’s been called out by former NRL boss David Gallop, and one-time close friend and teammate Cooper Cronk.

Gallop was furious when responding to claims by Smith about the salary cap scandal that saw Storm stripped of two premierships, while Cronk appeared to take exception to Smith’s take on the breakdown of their relationship three years ago.

Smith launched his book at Suncorp Stadium on Monday but then, interestingly, he cancelled a number of planned media interviews the following day.

Foxsports.com.au received an email from his publisher at 11.20pm on Monday night advising Smith had cancelled a Tuesday interview, while SEN radio host Andrew Voss revealed they had the same issue.

Channel 9 journalist and Sydney Morning Herald columnist Danny Weidler believes Smith’s book is indeed marred with misinformation.

“I’m finding it very hard to cop a lot of what Smith is saying,” Weidler said on Triple M.

“Cameron Smith dipped into the sewer of rugby league to dredge out a rumour that was false about himself and Yvonne Sampson in order to get publicity for his book, that’s how I see it.

“I didn’t think it had to be part of his book, he obviously did. That’s his decision, that’s fine.

“Where I find it difficult to comprehend is he can bring that up, but won’t deal with the genuine story which is his fallout with Cooper Cronk.

“I don’t know him well enough (to comment on his character), he doesn’t talk to me. He hasn’t talked to me since I started to question his behaviour in the aftermath of the Alex McKinnon incident (in 2014).

“I reached out to him to try get him to explain it to me, haven’t heard from him. I’ve tried numerous times.

“I don’t have a personal thing with Cameron Smith, (but) some of his behaviour hasn’t impressed me.”

Gallop chose to speak publicly over the weekend when he learned what Smith had written about the infamous salary cap scandal.

Gallop was in charge when Melbourne was busted cheating the cap, and he was the one who handed down the penalty.

Smith has never conceded the stripped titles in 2007 and 2009 and that is one reason many rugby league pundits take issue with him.

“It’s almost laughable for Cameron Smith to whinge about this,” Weidler said.

“I spoke to David Gallop about this last night, and he’s not someone who really wants to comment on rugby league anymore, (but) he didn’t have a choice because some of what Smith was saying... was so wildly false and inaccurate.

“Why are we feeling sorry for Cameron Smith and the Storm for cheating the cap, which was proven?”
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Danny Weidler claiming Smith has 'dipped into the sewer' is hilarious. Weidler must be upset that Smith is trespassing.

The sewer is the only place Weidler has operated for the past 20 years.
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