The NRL have responded to reports about the North Queensland Cowboys, who have become the latest NRL club to become embroiled in questions about what constitutes breaches of the salary cap after news broke on Tuesday afternoon of property deals involving players at the Townsville club.
The NRL have responded with some extra detail about the nature of the issues at the Cowboys.
The statement reads:
NRL Head of Integrity, Nick Weeks said Salary Cap auditors had already reviewed some of the matters raised about the Cowboys today and had determined no further action was required.
“As any new information becomes available it will be reviewed by the auditors,” he said.
A Fairfax investigation looked into a relationship between the Cowboys and millionaire developer Laurence Lancini. Several Cowboys players including Johnathan Thurston, Matt Scott and Michael Morgan have acquired blocks of land from Mr Lancini, who is also the Chairman of the club.
Mr Lancini has denied any property deals were done to bypass the salary cap and there is no indication that any players have broken the rules.
Fairfax also reports that former Cowboys player Martin Locke was the builder for the various properties.
Rumours began circulating on social media on Tuesday morning after NRL’s head of football Todd Greenberg and Nick Weeks from the integrity unit flew to Townsville, but Greenberg later tweeted that it was part of a regular scheduled visit that the NRL undertakes to all clubs.
NRL media spokesperson Peter Grimshaw told Fairfax that at this stage there is no concern from the NRL.
“There is no problem with someone from the club advising a player on investment opportunities that may interest them or providing specialist advice,” he said.
“However, it would be a breach if the player was offered a financial benefit which he didn’t pay for and which was not declared.”
Locke said no discounts were given to players.
“As a past player I would help them as I would help anyone else… but no discounts.”.
In 2002 the Canterbury Bulldogs were stripped of premiership points for salary cap breaches, and more recently the Melbourne Storm were famously stripped of multiple premierships following retrospective punishments for breaching their cap.
The Cowboys enjoyed a 42-point win against the Parramatta Eels on Monday night, leaving them just one win behind the ladder-leading Brisbane Broncos.
With strong form throughout the 2015 season, many are tipping the Cowboys to make a genuine tilt at a maiden NRL premiership after many years of promise.
Billy
Guest
What is sad Chui?, the fact that every young player in the NRL with money would be purchasing property, and every property developer would been keen to sign them up with good deals as they know their money is good and a good deal gives opportunity to get another contract from another player in his team? yet every club partakes in this practice the cowboys are being singled out and made look being corrupt? what bollocks .... but keep it going ... because you are just giving a great team ammo to win aka Smith SOO3 ... smash em Cows!
up in the north
Roar Rookie
Yippee a conspiracy. Those rotten lowdown southerners have done it again.
up in the north
Roar Rookie
A very loud sigh of relief was heard from my joint.
up up cronulla
Guest
Its cronullas fault
Scottyvee1986
Roar Rookie
Who decides what points to allocate to what player?
Scottyvee1986
Roar Rookie
It's called bad management as opposed to good management.
Bulldog
Guest
There is a suggestion from an NRL source that a Sydney club leaked this info to a Sydney journo to try and damage the Cowboys. See link http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/sport/nrl/sydney-accused-of-trying-to-ruin-cowboys-premiership-chances-again/story-fnjfzr6n-1227461136501
Kingcowboy
Guest
Assign a point for every dollar the player makes in a contract. If a player is on $500k, they get 500k points. Instead of calling it a salary cap, you have a point cap. That way when a club tries to do something dodgy, the media can call it a point cap scandal instead of a salary cap scandal.
Griffo
Guest
It's been reported that a number higher profile players have bought property off Lancini. It hasn't been reported that other players haven't.
Muzz
Guest
How would that work, James?
jamesb
Guest
Time to replace salary cap with a points system. It's like every few years, we are going to have a salary cap scandal.
Brett
Guest
The NRL Integrity Unit shutdown the speculation quite fast today. A lot of Cowboys fans breathing a sigh of relief no doubt.
MJB
Guest
Boom!
Griffo
Guest
You're right CO. For development in Townsville nobody is bigger than Lancini Group. If you're a player and you want some advice about buying property and Laurence Lancini is the chairman why would you go any further than him. He obviously knows what he's on about.
pjm
Roar Rookie
The Cowboys aren't that dumb. Buying property off the chairman for less than market price is a massive red flag and an easily found one as well.
GTW
Guest
Notice that it's only the really good players, the ones they want to retain, that have these properties? It smells very bad to me. All clubs should be as equal as each other, the Salary Cap goes half way to having an even playing field. TPA's have got to go as they favour teams with rich benefactors (not the NRL). We all "suspect" the Roosters, Souths and Broncos players get a whole bunch of extras not available to the likes of Wests and other teams. Happy for each team to have $2m extra for good players, but each team needs the benefit.
Chui
Guest
That's just sad
William Dalton Davis
Roar Rookie
I think the Andrew Gee incident was more the Broncos using a contingency plan to thwart the NRL than it was the NRL giving up. Though I hear that the loophole brisbane used has been sealed
Squidward
Roar Rookie
Definitely gone into the NRLs too hard basket like with the Andrew Gee Broncos fiasco last year and taking Souths word in Arizona. Hopefully Kate Mc at the SMH can actually dig up the truth here like she's done time and time again
Benjamin Conkey
Editor
Almost as short as Mal Meninga's political career.