NRL: Angry fans lash wooden spooner

Melbourne Storm players head to the change room at the completion of a training session. Photo / Getty Images

League fans took to Twitter and Facebook last night to vent their dismay, while Storm supporters felt the lash of of derision.

Thousands of fans inundated Twitter, criticising the club as "disgraceful" and a "farce".

"[I'm] laughing at the fact that the Warriors will not hold back with the sledging against the Storm [on Sunday] ... expecting fireworks," said one person.

"The happiest people tonight are the AFL after the Storm set the NRL back 10 years in Victoria," said another.

Hundreds more had signed up to a Facebook page, "Melbourne Storm: biggest cheaters since Tiger Woods".

In Auckland, 18-year-old Storm fan Cameron Smith - who shares the same name as the Storm captain - said he was gutted.

"It's pretty greedy what the management and players have done. They will definitely lose fans and without the fans they are nothing. I won't be wearing my Storm shirt in public any time soon."

Bookmakers were sent into a frenzy with news of the rort.

One of the penalties imposed means the Storm cannot earn any premiership points this season, so Sportingbet Australia slashed the club's wooden spoon odds from A$251 to A$1.01.

Dark clouds began building early yesterday when several "well-informed" punters managed to "hit" several leading bookmakers, securing odds of 250-1 on the Storm finishing with the wooden spoon. Betting was later suspended.