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There’s something radically wrong with Kieran Foran’s exciting Eels roster, and their even more excited fans, paying the penalty for the sins of the Parramatta Board.
The rumour mill has the NRL ripping up to eight points off the Eels for the Board rorting the salary cap.
We don’t officially know the extent of how badly the rorting has been, but it’s obviously severe.
As it sits, the Eels are in fourth spot on 10 points, the loss of eight would place the Eels sharing last with the Roosters.
The rumour mill also has the Eels being banned from 2016 finals football, irrespective of where they finish on the table.
To add insult to injury, Fox viewers to the excellent NRL360 program, hosted by Ben Ikin and Paul Kent, also voted 56 per cent in favour of the Eels being banned from the finals.
In short, the players, the most important asset in any club, and the fans, the second most important, have done nothing wrong, yet will be the ones who will severely suffer.
The Parramatta Board, who should be showing due care to their roster, have instead dumped on their most valuable asset, but will get off scot free for cheating the salary cap.
Wrong, wrong, wrong.
The Board is answerable to the NRL, so why doesn’t the governing body hit the individual directors where it hurts most, in their wallet?
Pick a figure, say $250,000 apiece, that would sure shorten them up.
Steve Sharp has been the chairman since 2013, and the now 58-year-old played in Parramatta’s golden era under the doyen of rugby league coaches Jack Gibson.
In 1981, Sharp came from the bench when Parramatta beat Newtown 20-11 to win their first premiership.
In 1982, Sharp was in the second row with John Muggleton in beating Manly 21-8. Muggleton later made his name as the brilliant defence coach of the Wallabies.
In 1983, Sharp was again in the second row, but this time with Peter Wynn, accounting for Manly again 18-6. Wynn has owned the biggest and most successful sports store in Parramatta for decades.
During those three historic years, Sharp had the privilege of playing alongside legends like Peter Sterling, Ray Price, Mick Cronin, Steve Ella, and Eric Grothe, under the captaincy of hooker Steve Edge.
It doesn’t get much better than that.
How would Sharp have felt if his Board of the day rorted the salary cap and robbed him of the chance to be in an historic three-time premiership side?
He’d be filthy, and there’s a pretty fair chance the current crop will be filthy with Sharp for chairing the Board that sunk Parramatta’s blossoming campaign in 2016.
Especially as Sharp and his cronies won’t suffer at all, except in the forum of public opinion.
By comparison with the players and the fans, the Board will be bashed with a wet lettuce leaf.
Todd Greenberg, there has to be a better way than savaging the innocent.
You are the CEO, make the penalties fit the crime.