It’s rather ironic Brad Arthur’s Eels next game against South Sydney is on Friday the 13th.
Arthur sure doesn’t need any bad luck after an extraordinary week where NRL boss Todd Greenberg dropped a bucket of penalties on the club over salary cap breaches last Tuesday, and virtually backed off on Friday.
Friday the 13th became a bizarre addition to the equation.
Let’s turn the clock back to December 2013 when Ian Schubert, the NRL’s salary cap auditor, retired after 18 years in the vital role.
In November last year, the Parramatta Board appointed Schubert for 13 months to sort out the club’s salary cap problems. If anyone could come up with a solution, there was no-one better than Schubert.
He was to work in close association with football operations manager Daniel Anderson.
Parramatta chairman Steve Sharp said at the tine – “It’s a win-win situation for us because we get an education process and we get his expertise to help clarify and fix up what we’ve got to know”.
Was that an admission the Board wasn’t capable of working out the salary cap without Schubert’s assistance?
Fast forward to last week, and not even guru Schubert was able to fix the salary cap rort.
What’s even more pertinent, Anderson was one of five Greenberg wanted to de-register along with Sharp, two other directors Tom Issa and Peter Serrao, plus CEO John Boulous for their part in the breach.
Greenberg added the club was to have their 12 hard-earned competition points docked, and the club must lose $570,00 to get under the cap before the Eels could earn any more points.
Greenberg went even further saying the quintet had to step down and ride into the rugby league sunset before the club could again be a points winner.
Greenberg was universally praised for taking a strong stance against the five cap rorters, while leaving the door open for the Eels to be an integral part of the NRL competition.
But the quintet took the NRL to the Supreme Court claiming the governing body’s edict stopped Parramatta staff from doing their job under the Corporations Act.
Last Friday, Greenberg dramatically changed the game plan by allowing the rorting five a month to get their act together to lose $570,000 to get under the cap, adding the Eels will be playing for competition points on Friday the 13th.
But the NRL ladder still shows the Eels in fourth place on 12 points, and not in 16th on zero.
Greenberg’s incredible back-flip has changed all the dynamics of Parramatta rorting the salary cap.
So don’t be surprised if the five Greenberg wanted to de-registered stay in place, and don’t be surprised if the Eels are docked less than 12 points.
What was so clear-cut last Tuesday has become an unholy mess.
And Todd Greenberg is entirely to blame in an out-of-character Friday.
Glenn
Guest
What concerns me most was the unprofessional manner in which the NRL conducted their review. They drip fed the media with their findings and the penalty, which was published about 3 days before being officially announced. They then want to keep their evidence confidential....what the?
Bearfax
Guest
What annoys me most is DCE being demonised for something others did but remain untarnished. Just to remind readers that DCE was far from the first to do what he did. The list includes Greg Inglis, James Tedesco, Tim Moltzen, Josh Papalii, Luke Lewis, Steve Turner, Nathan Smith. Even Wayne Bennett did it. And of course looking back there was the famous Canterbury Four a few decades past being Jarrod McCracken, Dean Pay, Jm Dymock and Jason Smith, who did it all at once to the same club. But its DCE we demonise because it was good press and everyone felt sorry for the poor Titans and angry at that nasty group of SeaEagles. Yeh right.
Baz
Guest
DCE there is no issue within the rules. If there is a cooling off period then that's it. So the NRL could not kick them off the leagues club board. but were able to kick them off the Parramatta board. When the directors for the Parramatta board are the same for the leagues club board. I'm unsure of how this works legally. They could appoint someone temporarily to that board i believe although that's tricky given the linking of the two boards.
madmax
Guest
Bear...........I laugh when people come on here & try to turn the page to Manly. Big J obviously has no idea about legalities or what's going on in rugby league.............like you say what does DCE have to do with this?
Bearfax
Guest
Not sure what the DCE issue has to do with the present issue. This discussion is about illegalities in the use of salary caps and TPAs. The DCE issue was fully within the rules of the game and had been used several times before by other players. They have since changed those rules. This issue is about illegalities
fazed
Roar Rookie
Not entirely. The court did make provision for the 5 to have access to the documents in order to make their defence & submission to the NRL. What it did was to make a decision that says they cannot affectively work as board members for the football club, without reading the full contents I understand it does allow the 4 members who are also directors of the leagues club to continue in those roles.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
Probably when the Supreme Court doesn't give injunctive relief for parties they are attempting to punish. Do you honestly just expect them to expose themselves legally and ignore the court order?
Big J
Guest
This is just and example of the nrl allowing the loonatics running the asylum, first the DCE event last year no this crap. When is the nrl going to grow a pair, make rules, stick to them, enforce penalties and so on. This is getting embrassing
Cadfael
Roar Guru
The ABC reports it that he hopes the club will be salary cap compliant by Friday. It will all depend on what happens to Watmogh. This mornings Tele showed a facsimile of what was a medical report. It stated that Watmogh was unlikely to continue his profession as a league player. If this is correct, "unlikely" should not warrant his being left out of the salary cap equation.
Jacko
Guest
Agree Guru its presumed that Todd Greenberg is right in what he says and everyone jumps on the "punish them" bandwagon without seeing some real facts
Nick
Guest
Not sure Emcie as there's been no transparency as to what this $700k is actually in regards to. All we know is what the media has been bashing up which is the same of "not much at all". Hopefully after the "preliminary" timeframe has elapsed and final punishment is handed down more info will come to light especially if the punishement is more lenient.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
And the legal action by the 5 board members has been thrown out of court now...
Emcie
Roar Guru
Does that include cash payments?
Nick
Guest
My understanding is they didn't exceed the cap this year. Infact they we're almost $200k under. They are currently over because the nrl added approx. $700k to this years cap due to past seasons TPA indescretions. So they are well within their rites to accrue points and play finals football (should they make it) if they bring their cap into compliance.....being approx $570K carried over.
Max
Guest
News Ltd the owner agreed to the sanctions to build up the anti-Storm Sydney conspiracy theory...
Renegade
Roar Guru
They don't have half a chance mate.... they just don't have brain cells which is why they tried to cheat in the first place.
no one in particular
Roar Guru
I think they were close to a decision, but rushed it to ensure it happened in an "off" week and didn't have an impact on that weeks NRL matches. Sharpe, useless as he is, even said in the days leading up that they will challenge it in court as they have been denied a right of reply
Bearfax
Guest
He's either naive or quite complicit in this bungled process. Surely he had legal advise before he made his statements and as its been almost 18 months since this all started, strategies should have been well in place. But here we have immediately following his rather lukewarm judgement, a back down on legal grounds. He surely cant be that incompetent. That's the issue isnt it. Is he that incompetent or was this a way out to placate Channel 9 in particular as well as ensure the large Parramatta flock are appeased to avoid losing support to soccer. Personally I think the clubs and supporters of the other 15 clubs have been duped. The softly softly approach to this was always intended. The early rhetoric was just for show and to get everyone off guard. I say sack Greenburg before he does more damage.
Anton
Guest
Exactly.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
That and the fine and 12 points? 12 points basically f---s you for the season. That's 6 wins.