NRL: Fab four no more

Greg Inglis is set to swap the Storm for the Broncos in the wake of the Melbourne club's salary cap controversies. Photo / Getty Images

Storm superstar Greg Inglis is tipped to sign a multi-year deal with the Brisbane Broncos tomorrow.

Forty-eight hours after a News Limited commissioned report revealed Melbourne had exceeded the salary cap by more than A$3 million dollars over the past four seasons, Inglis is set to break up the Storm's "fab four" and accept a two-year deal with Brisbane.

In a stunning turnaround after Inglis's manager Allan Gainey earlier refused Brisbane's offer of around $400,000-a-season this week, he is understood to have contacted the club's football operations manager Andrew Gee this week to re-open negotiations.

It's believed Brisbane stood firm on their initial offer when Gainey called back late in the week. Brisbane officials refused to comment yesterday. However it's believed Inglis will ink a two-year deal with the six-time premiers tomorrow unless something unexpected happens over the weekend.

Inglis's signing is a massive coup for Brisbane, who will lose giant young centre Israel Folau to the AFL at the end of the season. However it didn't look like eventuating earlier in the week after Gainey rejected Brisbane's offer.

"The offer we put to them [Inglis] is what we could afford and what fits in the cap," Gee told AAP, just before the release of the Deloitte forensic investigation into Melbourne's salary cap rorting, that has seen them stripped of their 2007 and 2009 premierships and all premiership points this year. Melbourne, who had hoped to retain Inglis, Billy Slater, Cameron Smith and Cooper Cronk, will be rocked by the news. It's understood Melbourne have agreed to a request from Inglis to leave on compassionate grounds - with his fiancee working in Brisbane.

The chance to play alongside Darren Lockyer, in his last few seasons, and with Queensland team-mate Sam Thaiday, would have appealed to Inglis.

Melbourne were set to release a number of quality players from their roster in the hope of hanging onto Inglis, Slater, Smith and Cronk but that could all fall apart if as expected, Inglis is the first of the four to walk out the door. Forward Aiden Tolman is joining the Bulldogs while Ryan Hoffman and Brett Finch have been linked to the Super League.

However, in a Four Nations press conference in Auckland yesterday, there was no mention of Inglis' departure and, as vice-captains of their respective national sides and team-mates in the salary cap-ravaged Storm, Adam Blair and Cameron Smith yesterday put brave faces on playing the rest of the NRL competition for no points and with little point.

The Storm have been travelling in relative comfort before the revelation this week that management were paying the players 80 per cent more than is allowed in a given season. They would have been level with four other teams on 22 points and fourth overall - courtesy of a superior points differential - despite having lost four of their last five games prior to last night.

Their denial that the situation was ruining their season smacks of, to paraphrase Shakespeare, protesting too much. Smith was adamant the fiasco had not in any way affected the team's season.

"I'm not looking forward to finishing, we've got eight games left. It has been a tough year but we're looking forward to playing out the season. We have games we need to win for our club, fans, sponsors and ourselves."

Smith oozes professionalism, beyond just his play-making skills. Clearly he has used that quality to optimum effect with his agent as they went about securing lucrative third party deals.

He was not alone. Twelve team-mates also boosted their salaries, though there is no evidence to suggest any player knew there was anything about their deals that cracked the salary cap.

But it is extraordinary to suggest life has gone on as normal. Still, Smith was insistent: "I don't think it has tested my leadership too much. You'd have to ask others. I know I've got the 'C' next to my name but I've had help from the coaches and the staff at the club. It hasn't been a case of 'you're the captain, you look after everyone'.

"We're a close-knit club, we look after everyone's backs, not just our own. If someone wants to have a chat it doesn't matter how long you've been at the club, you do that and help others out. That's what we've done and we've got through the situation together okay so far.

"Other blokes in the team have come to see how I'm going, too. At times people are a bit down but most times they're happy."

Smith admitted it's refreshing to have the Four Nations tournament coming up as a chance to actually win something.

"Yes, it would have been nice to play for points this year and a lot of people say it'll be a relief [to move on] but my attitude is - let's do the best we can for the Storm and when the internationals come around hopefully some of us get picked."

Forward Adam Blair let his guard down slightly more: "It'll be a breath of fresh air to get away from it all and be part of the Kiwis environment. At least it gives the team the chance to win something.

"It has been a tough year, especially not playing for points, but I try to stay out of that [salary cap] stuff as much as I can. I do feel bad for some of the other boys [Blair didn't have a third party deal] but you just have to get out there and do your job even if we do ultimately want to be playing finals football. No chance of doing that means it has become quite a hard season."

Blair reverts to Smith-speak when it comes to his future at the Storm and whether he would consider moving to the Warriors.

"The club's told me nothing and I can't do anything until everything is sorted out by the club first.

"It is hard but I'm contracted to the Storm for another year at this point. I'm confident they want to keep me and I'm happy to be part of the club."