Cooper Cronk’s decision to call a press conference this morning to announce he will stay at the Storm for another four years says a few things.
Firstly, it says Melbourne has one of the strongest club cultures in the NRL.
You’d have to have been living under a rock to not know every little detail of the Storms salary cap dramas.
It dragged the players, staff and anyone wearing a purple shirt though the mud. It created a stain on the clubs history that will endure long after the people involved have moved on.
Whether any particular player knew or suspected that someone was cooking the books isn’t relevant anymore.
What I and many others remember is the show of club solidarity in front of an intense media spotlight, while all they had worked for was stripped away.
It galvanised the group, and whether another club would band together like that is a big question.
Regardless, that’s what happened and players in the prime of their careers and earning potential primarily chose to tough it out. Cronk was one of them, and coming off contract, with big money deals from the Titans and Dragons on the table, he re-affirmed that decision.
It’s a rare player that, at 28-years-of-age, doesn’t go for the cash in what could well be his last contract signing in the NRL. Rarer still if the club he has been with has had the troubles Melbourne has.
Of course, it doesn’t hurt that they’re winning. If you like a bet, $5 is probably solid odds for the Storm to lift the silverware this year.
Having a player like Cronk decide to take a pay cut to stay injects huge confidence into a team that is practically brimming with it already. No side has more reason to bury the past, and what better way to do that than by re-filling that trophy cabinet, and creating some new memories.
Secondly, if there was really a deal on the table for Cronk at the Gold Coast, what are they doing up there? By all accounts, the Titans on the brink of financial ruin, and yet they reportedly tabled $3.2 million over four years.
What is going on up there is yet to be fully decoded, but if I was Dave Taylor I’d be a little nervous with my decision to leave the Bunnies.
While you have to respect Cronk’s decision to finally get everything out in the open, the drama created by todays press conference seems a bit ridiculous considering he was practically announcing nothing.
A huge group of media gathering to hear that nothing has changed hasn’t happened since… well, Ricky Ponting a month ago.
Why it is necessary to gather the nations sports news sources together to announce that you’ll be doing what you have always done seems overly dramatic.
Make a statement, get your media manager to put in in an email to the media, and get on with the job at hand.
Full respect then goes to Heritage round comeback kid Lote Tuqiri, who this morning at a much smaller press conference at Sydneys Concord Oval was asked ‘Do you think Braith Anasta would be good for the Tigers?’, to which he very calmly replied ‘Mate, I can’t speculate on speculation.’
81paling
Roar Rookie
I am really honestly curious, why do you agree with Gaz?
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
Have to agree with you Gaz.I scratch my head at times in amazement.
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
Maybe News should sign up the rest of the Offsiders ,based on your conspiracy theories.Maybe they are now slipping copious dollars in to the AFL under the table to keep the AFL on side. They couldn't keep Foran,nor Inglis,nor Blair,nor Tolman,,nor Newtown,nor Champion,nor Turner,,nor King,nor Crocker,nor White,nor Johnson.Chambers went to union.Maybe the salary cap is working,or maybe they have a working account on the cayman islands. The fact is both the storm and the un20 have to operate under the same working salary cap limit as all the other clubs.What is secured by 3rd party deals is another source of income. i have to laugh about the SMH not going hard on the Storm,when FitzSimons has no qaulms in serving it up when necessary,and even Danny Weidler,you gotta wonder just whose side of the sporting fence he resides. o'Sullivan the recruitment mgr does not work for the Storm any more,and has not since the salary cap issue.
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
Most teams have a lot of no names.Not exactly unique in the world of rugby league. I remember a few no names at the Storm once,Slater,Smith and Cronk. The u20 monies are minimal and is striclly policed. The salary cap we are led to believe will increase substantially. I don't believe anyone has to be Luigi the unbelievable ,to assess the NRL have a minimum Tv contract monies idea,on which they can work,as they would I suggest have either bids or flexi bids provided by the current first and last rights holders.There will be a large increase in the cap.The notion of 30 players getting $2.1 m.fantasy.And no one knows what Cronk is getting.Oh sure the journos know,trust them. I don't believe there is any restriction on 3rd party earnings for a player,provided they have no direct sponsorship deal with the club.Slater and Suzuki seems to be a special deal.
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
Every time I read this rehashing of the salary cap debacle of the past ,I think of Basil Fawlty"Don't mention the war". It's as boring as a dentist's waiting room. What's the statute of limitations on this a century? a millenium? till the apocalypse?I t's about C .C signing with the Storm,no subterfuge,no double contracts,just someone who is a genuine star and has modesty to boot. If the Storm officals were to do something similar(underhanded),it would be a case of sayonara.
JVGO
Guest
'Big 3' is a basketball term.
81paling
Roar Rookie
LM you do understand that your clubs owner are currently under what is the same as a senate hearing in the United Kingdom for what amounts to taking advantage of and profiting from the murder of an innocent child. Do you understand that, News is currently the indirect 100% owner of the Melbourne storm, do you understand that LM ? These charges are horrible and certainly amount to far greater things, if they can do these things or even close to these things then they can cheat the salary cap again and again and again until they win, they own it or they are kicked out of it.
81paling
Roar Rookie
Gaz what planet do you live on, it is published all over this site that the emerging "front-runners are (in no particular order) the Central Coast Bears, the Brisbane Bombers and the WA Reds" please view this link http://tensport.com.au/news/theroar/Rugby-League-Why-doesnt-NRL-expand-with-three-bids.htm that directly refers to this website that you have placed your comment on. If you choose not to do any research then do not comment on a public forum with ignorant comment or you will look like a fool AGAIN (as is clear in this case). As a quick snip of what Melbourne took from Perth in there first year of their Rugby League debut the players names are Rodney Howe, Robbie Kearns and Matt Geyer in the same year they signed from the Hunter an area that the Bears would partially draw from along with the Knights they signed Brett Kimorley, Scott Hill, John Carlaw, Paul Marquet and Richard Swain. Should we even discuss the playing register (the foolish Gaz is begging me to stop here readers but, read on to watch his final humiliation) that has been taken from the Brisbane Bombers drawing area that I got directly from the Brisbane Norths Juniors website "Billy Slater, Matt King and Cameron Smith". Cooper Cronk also came from the same club within the area of the emerging club the Brisbane bombers. So Gaz if you need to be humiliated further, then please comment some more but, as for now the same people own the club who owned it before they just fired a few employee's. However if you could please try to at least pretend to know what you are talking about in future then that would help prevent you appearing so ignorant in the future. Please use informed facts in the any future comment that you might make and do not waste everybody's time with the ignorant commentary that you previously made towards me.
Jaceman
Guest
Gee even I who doesnt read much NRL stuff but recently the NRL press have begun talking about the spine, fullback, half (5th tackle kicker) and hooker (dummy half). I think most people agree that the "big 3" are the core of the Storm team and would be much lesser without them because of their unique skills and Smith leadership qualities...
Nathan of Perth
Guest
Titans may have offered $1m but with the Storm he knew he'd a) get Finals and b) no one is talking about breaking up the Storm and replacing them with another franchise! 50% of something is better than 100% of nothing.
Nathan of Perth
Guest
That doesn't make them worthwhile opinions though.
Nathan of Perth
Guest
Two chips on each shoulder when it comes to the Storm for some people, I see...
Boomshanka
Guest
"................................He knew that the Storm couldn't do without him in AFL Melbourne because they keep on talking about the Storm spine (an AFL term) and the big three. So much for loyalty/culture..............." Not sure where your going with this one Maximus. I've never heard of the term "storm spine". Are you saying that AFL Melbourne would drop the Storm if Cronk moved on?? The storm have lost many "marque" players over the years and still going strong. The game is greater than one or two players. Enjoy the game live in HD tonight. Head to head against the other code next door. Should be interesting.
Jeff McGinn.
Guest
Thanks Eaglejack.. those are my feelings to Manly re: their young half back duo. Others would love the opportunity to have them in their teams, but really why should they be able to buy ready made young stars. -- Hope to see you guys in this years final, we have a score to settle.. lol ( Message to anti Meld Trolls -- No- I don't need to be reminded what that score was )
Jeff McGinn.
Guest
Me too.. thanks renegade. The Salary cap is now officially a farcical remnant of a good idea. Clubs are offering huge money to tempt the best players whilst maintaining an excellent playing group. IT cannot be achieved within a fair salary cap and I don't care who is doing it!.. Review third party agreements and bring them into a clubs salary cap. this current salary cap is a complete and utter farce!.
Jeff McGinn.
Guest
They certainly d Jaceman and it is bloody well supported!!! . -- Show the Melbourne sporting crowd what they are missing by not seeing this LEGENDARY team and the fans will come. Question 2 = Who are Slater, Cronk,Smith?. answer they are part of a TEAM and this is what brings continued success. and seperates winners fro Losers! Ooops, I forgot to give the ultimate praise to Craig Bellamy. lesser men would have run away two years ago.
mushi
Guest
his point is that opinions can be rightfully formed without adhering to the strict guidelines imposed on the criminal court.
Jaceman
Guest
News Ltd is trying to sell the Storm so they had to bend over backwards to keep one of the big three. No-one is saying that the possible deception is anywhere near the 2010 salary cap drama but with backloaded contracts, 3rd party deals etc one should be looking closely at any $$ transactions. They claimed everything was OK in 2009 too and it wasnt till an insider spilt the beans that it came out and proved what everyone was thinking (incl Phil Gould) So you have to understand they will be under increased scrutiny. Now they have alot of no-names and News Ltd are trying to sell and they have 3 champions of the game worth at least $700K each so you would want to focus on what the others are getting. A squad of 30 getting $2.1m between them including a high flying u20 side in a non NRL state should ring alarm bells. Ok the salary cap is going up but the backloaded crunch came in 2009 and they just wiped the slate clean it seems..
Jaceman
Guest
Thanks 81 paling Its intriguing in NSW at least that the SMH went hard at the Storm and then went quiet which coincided with a meeting with Hartigan CEO and the head of Fairfax about the Herald sharing the Chullora printing works which would save Fairfax $40m a year in a dying industry. That deal is apparently now off so we now see the Fairfax Aust Fin review getting into Murdoch over the Pay-TV piracy. Interestingly Gerard Whately on ABC was going hard at the Storm and suddenly he is signed to do AFL show on Fox which muted his criticism somewhat. The private company enabled them to sign a lot of good kids that tied them to the Storm (Folau, Inglis etc) which Tim Sheens has puzzled at before that they could get kids from that high school/factory in Qld to go to cold Melbourne
LM
Guest
No I am not an employee, I do however have faith that my club is doing the right thing - I don't understand how anyone could believe they would put themselves in the same situation that could have led to their downfall! They have come back from it so gracefully, I just find it incredibly difficult to believe that they would do it again because we all know that no club could come back from that.. No player in the world is worth doing that for.