NRL CEO David Gallop launched an attack on Melbourne Storm supporters that no person in such a position should ever have muttered.
At a Crocmedia radio show, Gallop said: “I never really go for that whole passion line. I mean, terrorists are passionate about what they do and, you know, that doesn’t make it right.
“I obviously didn’t enjoy it, but I’m absolutely confident we made the right decision.
“They were involved in cheating and those people who booed me yesterday, well, they obviously support the cheating that was going on.
“Passion is a bad excuse and it gets used too much in sport… Passion isn’t something that is an excuse for poor behaviour.”
Yes, the club cheated. Yes, the club and its supporters have accepted that without supporting it one bit. No, they won’t stop blaming you for making the damage much worse than necessary. That is why the boos rang through AAMI Park on Sunday.
Gallop, as the ‘leader’ of a ‘national’ competition, needs to stand up and make decisions for the good of the code. However, on April 22, 2010, he failed the administrative process, he failed the hardworking coaches and players of the Storm and he failed the supporters.
Single-handedly deciding to strip the club of their 2007 and 2009 premierships and effectively the 2010 season, Gallop killed so much more than that.
Announcing the penalties and admitting that he took the decision into his own hands was the first in a long line of mistakes. While the full reports took months to surface, the quickfire reaction was the reason why so many supporters drowned out Gallop’s presentation on Sunday.
It may not have worked for the NRL to announce that they have uncovered the rort alone that morning, but surely the entire situation could have been handled much, much better.
The simple fact that the Melbourne versus Manly game was the first match involving the Storm he had attended since that April day was one major mistake. Not appearing at a home game in the Victorian capital until Sunday for the minor premiership was another.
Without such a significant and rash penalty, Gallop could have appeared at the ANZAC Day match against the Warriors last year and addressed the crowd. The bias against Melbourne that he has always shown would have disappeared had he felt for the supporters and promised that the right people would be punished.
He may not have been able to promise that the club wouldn’t lose the premierships or the 2010 season, but there is a reason he is the one who is attacked so easily.
An apology on Tuesday morning, an attempt at backtracking his words, will do little to mute the issue.
“We’ve seen poor decisions around breaching salary caps and that kind of thing because people say, ‘oh yeah, because he’s passionate about the club.’ Well, that’s not a good excuse for poor decisions,” Gallop said today.
What was his excuse for the poor decisions he has made over the years? Judging by all of the comments he has made, he must not be passionate about his job then.
The fact is his knee-jerk reaction last year was over the top, and his knee-jerk reaction to Sunday was deplorable. Just because the Storm aren’t in a rugby league heartland, it does not make the supporters any less important, let alone their passion for the club.
Gallop has seen the NRL through a period of change and expansion, but if he doesn’t understand the backlash then it seems the NRL needs more change than he can offer.
vini
Guest
Bulldogs cheated in 2002 and copped it. Melbourne have been cheating for years on a massive scale. Cop it and stop blaming it on Gallop, Sydney blah blah. Strange thought, but don't you think instead of booing Gallop, you should be booing your former club administrators ? They f***d you royally.
Jeff
Guest
The signing that contributed most was getting Craig Bellamy from Broncs. I honestly believe that without his guidance this team nor the individuals would not have hit the heights they did, Maybe the extra payments (Rort) held the kids together, but Bellamy moulded them into a TEAM.
Meesta Cool
Guest
Inglis was a tall gangly kid that no one even looked at in trial games. Storm's scout saw that 'x factor' picked him out and Storm's was the only offer he received, it wasn't until he was playing in Queensland league for Storm Feeder team that others started to realise the potential.!. -- this same 'scout' found Smith, Cronk & Falou -- Slater ( just turned up at Norths and asked for a trial. ) -- Joseph Tomane would have been another world beater had he stayed with us! There was No big money to get them to Storm, but it would make a great STORY!.
Jaceman
Guest
To the Storm supporters who suggest that the Victorian Police didnt charge anyone with fraud so its all OK how about this then about another Murdoch adventure http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/media/uk-police-drop-demand-for-source-of-guardians-phone-hacking-stories/story-e6frg996-1226142381615 ...
Jaceman
Guest
Broncos have the pick of RL juniors in a RL state and RL town and turn over the players quite regularly to get under Cap. Melbourne is not a RL nursery...-
Jaceman
Guest
News Ltd folded 3 clubs and sent their best players to melbourne in 1998 with Lazarus (top of his game) from News ltd Broncos and the Storm in 2nd year won the premiership...Amazing...
Jaceman
Guest
INglis was a schollboy star at least and was not rejected by Broncos well he rejected them more recently..
Corey
Guest
I understand you Jimmie, I think Gallop had to do what he did, it unfortunately was harsh on the supporters who paid hard earned money for years to find out that it all counted for nought. And I think the Melbourne Purple Army should take him to court for bringing the team into disrepute and loss of funds (when you become a member you invest into your team, Waldron almost made the Storm into a hedge fund of soughts). Gallop I believe is passionate (he almost cried when he read out the penalties he had given to the Storm), and I think after what the Bulldogs did (I think in 2003) with the salary cap and many other teams pushing the limits (including my own Brisbane Broncos), I think Gallop just found it too much and decided enough was enough. Make a clear statement to everyone that if you cheat you will be dealt with harshly, whether it is popular opinion or not. I wish the Storm got to play last year for points, they should have been forced to shed players quick but still allowed to play for points. The Dragons premiership now will always have an asterisk to their name as it will be the year a team (Melbourne Storm) were not allowed to compete for the Premiership. And that is unfortunate for both the Storm and the Dragons.
Lauren
Guest
Trust me, they've accepted it. I think that like this article suggests it has been Gallop's behaviour and the lack of support he's given the club since then is why the fans are so infuriated. I don't disagree that the punishments were not Gallop's fault, I completely agree that the club needed to be punished. What I think is incredibly ironic though is that in essence you are suggesting that the Storm players and fans need to move on and accept the actions, when in an article that is not directly related to the salary cap it is people like you who are still talking about it, as if THAT is the issue under debate, when it no longer is. To answer your hypothetical, no I would not be comfortable, but I know that the players would recognise that the team, whether legal or not, earnt that trophy. Whether they should have been fielded that day or not, they played the better game of footy, and did their job, and as wrong as it seems (even if they were not given the premiership) there should be some recognition for that.
Renata
Guest
Ok, so now we are all (collectively) officially over this . So let the great game roll!!!
Doug
Guest
:-) All right then: three more sleeps before some more rugby *league*.
Big Time
Guest
And my point is that people (players and fan's) must accept that the actions of others had to be punished, and this is what the NRL did. The NRL can't not act on something just because some people involved knew nothing about it. It was a massive rort, and it deserved what it got. It is not David Gallops fault. If he had of sat on his hands and did nothing, then there would have been 15 other clubs giving it to him for being too lenient or indecisive. I am comfortable with the punishment. Storm fans refuse to answer my hypothetical. If Storm get beaten by Knights in the GF in 2012, and it turns out that Tinkler spent $1,000,000 over the salary cap in putting his side together. Would Storm fans be comfortable with that? "Sweet as bro, the players worked hard all year, players did not know about it, let them keep the title"!!!
Big Time
Guest
And you think after that they did not go through every club with a fine toothed comb!! What dream land do you live in?
oikee
Guest
:) Broncos fans are now use to Hodgo only playing a few games a year, but gee those games are normally good. He has spindley little legs, always gets injured, but we love him none the less.
oikee
Guest
Welcome to my world. Yes i read his post wrong, again. So to not look like a fool i changed my post. :) Sorry Rebel. At the very least you know that i know what your talking about. cheers.
Stu
Guest
Hey! Don't bad mouth Hodges, he's the highest paid player in the game. Highest paid per game that is. -- Comment left via The Roar's iPhone app. Download The Roar's iPhone App in the App Store here.
Mark Young
Roar Guru
Spot on Gambla! Nothing to see here, move along!
Billo
Guest
As primarily a rugby supporter but with a keen interest in league, I'm always amazed at how self-destructive you leaguies are. Your sport desperately needs to expand into previously hostile areas, and the Storm has done more to promote that expansion than any other club. And yet Gallop give the impression, rightly or wrongly, that he hates the club. He turns up at Melbourne for the first time this season with the Giltinan Shield, dressed scruffily by the way, and doesn't expect to be booed! He then makes the dumbest possible remark, claiming that those who booed him supported the salary cap rort and claiming that he isn't impressed by their passion, and likens passionate league supporters to terrorists. His previous actions tell me that he has little respect for players or for supporters, or indeed for the game as a whole. He has already messed up the play-offs by bringing in an inflexible rule that made the Tigers and Sea Eagles give up home advantage in the opening weekend. How does this guy keep his job? He is an absolute godsend for the three other football codes.
Lauren
Guest
So I just want to grasp these double standards just quickly... Parramatta fans are allowed to boo because they felt cheated, yet Storm fans are not given the same courtesy? I don't disagree that the fans were wrong to boo Gallop under the circumstances trust me, that is not what I am condoning, I'm merely suggesting that Storm fans should be given the same reaction to such actions as any other group of fans. I would also like to point out, that there is nothing to suggest that had Storm been under the salary cap in 2009 that theywould not have still won the premiership, and I think this year definitely supports that. There is nothing to say that Parramatta would have won that year's premiership particularly as the entire season may have been different, so to say they were "robbed" of a premiership isn't really accurate and to be honest their supporters should get off their high horse. Whatsmore, in 2009 they were also over the cap (granted nowhere near as far over as Storm) so hypothetically if it was Jarryd Hayne, who was arguably their best player that season, who sent them over the cap, they didn't deserve to be in the grand final either? As a Storm fan, it's not the punishments that make me dislike Gallop, but it is the lack of support that he has given the club since then that infuriates me. The fact that the first game he had gone to since dishing out the punishments was the recent Manly game at Brookvale is truly ridiculous, and we all know that he wouldn't have come to Melbourne on Sunday had it not been for the fact that he had to present Storm with the minor premiership.
Lauren
Guest
I don't disagree, I'm just saying that (similar to what you're suggesting) we're blaming the wrong people. As long as we stick to blaming Waldron, Hansen etc I'm all good, but leave the players out of it because it wasn't their fault.