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'Chief Rat' of Melbourne salary-cap scandal says Eels' punishment is "unjust" to Storm

3rd May, 2016
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NRL Grand Final against the Parramatta Eels at ANZ Stadium, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2009. The Storm won the 2009 NRL premiership with a 23-16 win over the Eels. AAP Image Dean Lewins.
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3rd May, 2016
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The architect of the Melbourne Storm’s cheating of the salary cap, former CEO Brian Waldron, says giving the Eels the chance to play for points this season is “unfair”.

The Storm were found to have cheated the salary cap by at least $1.7 million over five years, whereas the Eels are estimated to have been some $3 million over the cap during a similar period of time.

Yet where Melbourne were stripped of two premierships, three minor premierships, and made to pay back millions in prizemoney, Parramatta have copped a $1 million fine, of which $250,000 has been suspended, and made to return their Auckland Nines trophy from the start of the season.

Granted, you can’t make a team give back premierships if they haven’t won them, but the penalties are vastly different for what appears to be a similar crime.

Parra salary cap scandal
» Press conference: Parra breached the cap by $3 million, players may be investigated
» Parramatta docked 12 points, fined $1 million for salary cap breaches
» Don’t make the innocent pay for Parramatta rorting the salary cap
» Will the Eels take the NRL to court?
» How Parramatta’s punishment compares to previous salary cap breaches
» Read the full statement from the NRL

At the time, Waldron was labelled the “chief rat” of the Storm scandal by News Limited boss John Hartigan – the media company being the owners of the southern club at the time.

But Waldron’s primary beef with the NRL’s sanction is that while the Eels have been stripped of all points gained thus far in 2016, they’re giving the Parramatta club the opportunity to become cap compliant and play for points. Mathematically speaking, they could still win the competition.

By contrast, Melbourne played most of the 2010 season with no chance of accruing points.

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“Melbourne Storm had won some premierships, and it happened too quickly. The whole process was quite absurd. They took premierships off… and said Melbourne Storm can’t play for points,” Waldron said on SEN.

“I find it difficult to understand how they (Parramatta) can continue to play for points. I think that’s something that’s very difficult… Melbourne people would say that’s quite unjust.

“Perhaps what it says more than anything is that this is the right decision, and the decision to not let the Melbourne Storm play for points in that year (2010) was a disgraceful thing.”

Addressing the difference in penalties for the two sides (who incidentally faced off in the 2009 grand final, of which the Storm were stripped), NRL CEO Todd Greenberg said, “I didn’t make the decision on the Melbourne Storm, but I’m making the decision today.”

Greenberg also made a point of saying that both the Parramatta club and its officials would have the opportunity to respond to the breach notices.

“The key difference and why everyone at the Storm felt it was so unfair, is that never took place. There was never an opportunity for people,” Waldron said.

“I rang David Gallop myself and said ‘I’ll talk to you about this’.

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“You’re never going to be able to put your story to the NRL, because the politics of the time made it nigh on impossible to defend yourself. When they throw you under the bus, you’ve just got to lie in hospital and come good over time. But you’ve got to take accountability.”

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