Melbourne Storm scandal - what the Aussie media is saying

The crisis which has engulfed the NRL with the news that glamour club the Melbourne Storm rorted the salary cap - in effect, cheated - has cut many rugby league followers to the bone.

But what of the sport's analysts and writers?

Here's a sample of what the media across the Tasman is saying this morning:


THE AGE, Melbourne - Player exodus expected
(Fairfax Ltd)

"The premierships, the proud history and the hard-earned respect gained from two premierships from the past four grand finals have all been ripped from the once-proud history of the Melbourne Storm.

Now the players - the superstars in particular - who had often spoken about their wish to stick together are likely to be the next to go, according to the Storm chairman, Rob Moodie.

It is the representative players, such as Cameron Smith, Billy Slater, Greg Inglis, Cooper Cronk and Brett White, who have the most to lose financially by staying with the Storm and will be the most difficult to keep."

THE AUSTRALIAN - Sudden interest in betting was dead giveaway
(News Ltd)

"The early warning signs of the biggest sports scandal in Australian history came on Wednesday night when a couple of punters placed bets with bookmakers on Melbourne to win the wooden spoon.

By yesterday morning, the alarm bells rang louder as more and more bookies took bets on the Storm coming last in the 2010 NRL season.

Early yesterday morning, leading bookmaker Sportingbet shut down its wooden spoon market, after fielding several bets at 250-1, with three punters standing to win $10,000 each.

"You don't take a series of bets like that unless someone knows something", said Sportingbet Australia spokesman Bill Richmond.

THE HERALD-SUN, Melbourne - Time to draw the line on cheating
(News Ltd)

"The scandal that has seen Melbourne Storm stripped of two National Rugby League premierships must be used as a warning to everyone involved with the multi-billion-dollar industry of Australian sport.

It points not only to the need for the highest standards, but constant surveillance to see they are maintained.

The actions of the handful of officials who conspired to break the salary cap governing player payments, as well as keeping secret files on these contracts, are condemned not only by the NRL but by this newspaper.

The actions of those involved in what has been a deliberate and long-running rort that has contributed to two of the club's three premierships cannot be excused."

COURIER-MAIL, BRISBANE – Why I hate the cheating Storm
(Fairfax Ltd)

"Right now I hate the Storm. I hate their guts.

I know that not everyone associated with the club is guilty of anything, but I can't help that. In the heat of the moment they are all tarred with the same brush. When I look at their emblem I feel sick.

When I think of how much I enjoyed watching their wonderful players in action, I feel like I've been taken for a sucker.

Some of those players should have been playing for other clubs. Clubs like Cronulla or Canberra or the Warriors - clubs that have struggled to keep up with the play in recent seasons.

Some of them should have been playing for Manly and Parramatta, the clubs that the filthy cheating Storm robbed of the premiership in 2007 and 2009."

SUNSHINE COAST DAILY – Don't blame the players
(APN)

From Bob Hagan, the man at the helm of the Canterbury Bulldogs during their salary cap breach eight years ago:

"The players would have no idea what's been going on around them. They're the ones who are going to suffer. It was the same at the Bulldogs – we had a premiership-winning team ready to go and due to those circumstances I put my hand up and took the fall so the Bulldogs could rebuild again. I took it on myself to take the rap. I thought, which it did, that it would clean everything up in one hit."