Manly are reportedly set to appeal the NRL’s decision to reject Brett Stewart exemption from this season’s salary cap on medical grounds.
The NRL rebuffed the club’s claim to have the final year of the retiring veteran’s deal left out of the cap, saying it wasn’t a one-off injury which caused Stewart to quit the game.
Fairfax Media reports the Sea Eagles have moved to appeal the decision in order to have Stewart’s contract removed from the salary cap to free up room for them to pursue other players.
NRL chief medical officer Paul Bloomfield, who was at Manly between 2000 and 2012, is in charge of the decision and knows Stewart’s long-running history of knee injuries.
Clubs can get an exemption if a player is found to have a one-off injury that forces retirement but the NRL has determined Stewart’s career was ended by a consistent build-up of knee issues.
The league is still considering a similar claim from Stewart’s teammate Steve Matai who has suffered from neck and shoulder complaints.
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