Thoughts on the Storm

[Renee]

So yesterday afternoon there was a big bomb dropped on the NRL in Australia...

The Melbourne Storm team had broken the salary cap by 1.3mill over the last 5 years... (which is apparently huge)...

They were stripped of their 07 and 09 premierships as well as their minor premierships and stripped of all points they have earned this year and will not earn any more points this season.. amongst fines etc... And we are only up to week 7...

What are your thoughts?
I'm sure the non-Aussies probably don't know much about it, but I'm interested to hear the thoughts on the people who do have some knowledge.

Cheers

[TheGooner]

Laugh out loud at most of this.

Salary caps are a pretty weak method of attempting to maintain an even competition for the business owners - and are usually attempted by small sports with a closed shop as they try to reduce player costs.

From a sporting point of view - salary caps are unjustified - and the rhetoric around it this morning just reflects the jealousy, avarice and greed of the other owners.

The "stripping of titles" is a totally pointless guesture - of course Melbourne won the title in those seasons, they have the memories, medals and newspaper clippings to prove it.

Pretending that it did not happen is dense - and satisfies no-one.

The reality is that breaching the salary caps is rife throughout most of Australian and US sports and it just depends on how hard the administrators search as to when it's found.

This media outburst simply makes a small sport look even smaller ...

[shortow]

If you want a competition that's remotely even you need salary caps - it works for the AFL. Sure there's the odd breach here and there, but by and large you can see that the talent pool is pretty evenly spread.

The alternative is a league dominated by the same handful of clubs who fight out the Premierships and the rest just fight to avoid relegation each season.

And I wouldn't say stripping of titles is a pointless gesture.

The trophy is returned, $1.1 million in prize money is returned, players medals are returned, and newspaper clippings will now only serve to remind players of what was won (and then stripped) from cheating. Do you think Ben Johnson watches replays of his '88 100m Olympic final and remembers it as a victorious moment? Do you think Floyd Landis still thinks he won the Tour de France?

[CK - Schalk]

I'm hoping the likes of Slater, Inglis, and Cameron Smith decide to change codes and join the Rebels.

But that's next year's worries. For now I just hope my boys the mighty Stormers can outclass that rabble of Reds led by the convict-in-chief Quade Cooper.

AS you can tell, I'm not really a league man myself...

[my3sons]

I for one think it's pretty unfortunate for the players. Seriously, how many of them have any idea what the cap is or where the team stands?

I'm in the US so I'm not a big follower of the Storm. But to think these players worked extremely hard and this gets taken away from them is pretty brutal.

I am not saying they shouldn't have anything taken away, I'm just saying it's a bummer for them.

[shortow]

I for one think it's pretty unfortunate for the players. Seriously, how many of them have any idea what the cap is or where the team stands?

Agreed. The players are definitely the biggest losers in this whole mess and have no responsibility for the salary cap. Even if they were told what all the other players were getting paid i'd be surprised if they could add it up

[my3sons]

Even if they were told what all the other players were getting paid i'd be surprised if they could add it up

LOL. funny.

Not like they could do anything about it even if they knew they were in violation.

[PowerPartners]

I'm hoping the likes of Slater, Inglis, and Cameron Smith decide to change codes and join the Rebels.

But that's next year's worries. For now I just hope my boys the mighty Stormers can outclass that rabble of Reds led by the convict-in-chief Quade Cooper.

AS you can tell, I'm not really a league man myself...

Hey m8,

This season the Reds have beaten the Bulls & Crusaders (both of whom top the table). Stormers will be next

South African teams generally lose in Brisbane, the home of Rugby Union and Rugby League in Oz.

Go Reds!

[TheGooner]

Do you think Ben Johnson watches replays of his '88 100m Olympic final and remembers it as a victorious moment? Do you think Floyd Landis still thinks he won the Tour de France?

TWo things on this :

1) You've picked up on two dopping cheats - which affects on field performances.

In the salary cap case its' not. It's still 13 v 13 (or 17 v 17 on interchange rules).

2) In both these cases - it was detected soon after - and OTHER people were then awarded the title of winner.

Ben Johnson and Floyd Landis know they didn't win - someone else has been declared a winner.

Tell me - who won now in the seasons when the Melbourne Storm held the trophy aloft? ... ... ... Yep no-one. Pointless.

----------------

And as for the AFL - didn't they set-up the expansion teams like the Brisbane Lions with a bigger salary cap when they first came in?

Didn't the Lions win it all THREE times with that advantage?

Are you saying that their financial salary cap advantage taints their win?
Or is that a non-issue because it's legitimate?

Exactly. Salary cap = bogus control.

------------------------

Uniform salary caps and the argument for equalisation have a negative effect on the likelihood of the creation of truely great teams - and are instead responsible for mediocre sporting standards.

Sporting fans like dynasties, they like the great teams, the Chicago Bulls, the Boston Celtics, the Detroit Red Wings and the Dallas Cowboys. Barcelona, Real Madrid and Manchester United.

Or perhaps the Manly Sea Eagles? Or great old clubs like Essendon, Collingwood and Carlton?

A free system, or at most a "soft" salary cap, with "luxury taxes" that acknowledges the existance of star players, and does not rigidly push the break-up of these star teams is far better for the sport overall.

[PowerPartners]

I'm hoping the likes of Slater, Inglis, and Cameron Smith decide to change codes and join the Rebels.

But that's next year's worries. For now I just hope my boys the mighty Stormers can outclass that rabble of Reds led by the convict-in-chief Quade Cooper.

AS you can tell, I'm not really a league man myself...

Ohhhhh yeahhh.

Reds "Can" play rugby.

Nice win! Another Saffa team to bight the reds dust.

[Renee]

TWo things on this :

1) You've picked up on two dopping cheats - which affects on field performances.

In the salary cap case its' not. It's still 13 v 13 (or 17 v 17 on interchange rules).

2) In both these cases - it was detected soon after - and OTHER people were then awarded the title of winner.

Ben Johnson and Floyd Landis know they didn't win - someone else has been declared a winner.

Tell me - who won now in the seasons when the Melbourne Storm held the trophy aloft? ... ... ... Yep no-one. Pointless.

----------------

And as for the AFL - didn't they set-up the expansion teams like the Brisbane Lions with a bigger salary cap when they first came in?

Didn't the Lions win it all THREE times with that advantage?

Are you saying that their financial salary cap advantage taints their win?
Or is that a non-issue because it's legitimate?

Exactly. Salary cap = bogus control.

------------------------

Uniform salary caps and the argument for equalisation have a negative effect on the likelihood of the creation of truely great teams - and are instead responsible for mediocre sporting standards.

Sporting fans like dynasties, they like the great teams, the Chicago Bulls, the Boston Celtics, the Detroit Red Wings and the Dallas Cowboys. Barcelona, Real Madrid and Manchester United.

Or perhaps the Manly Sea Eagles? Or great old clubs like Essendon, Collingwood and Carlton?

A free system, or at most a "soft" salary cap, with "luxury taxes" that acknowledges the existance of star players, and does not rigidly push the break-up of these star teams is far better for the sport overall.

As someone who played first grade softball for many years (about 8 years first grade, 15 years in total - I even played a few years with the ladies in the olympic women's team) I have to say that when your team has all the good players, and you just constantly win, it gets boring for the other teams, the spectators and anyone who was really interested. Noone wants to see the same team win every week, which is what we did, because it gets boring. If there is no competition, what's the point in watching? I think people like to watch sport because it's interesting and exciting.. If it was the same crap every week noone would bother.

I don't know much about it, but I think if I understand correctly, the aim of the salary cap is so that the teams with the deepest pockets don't score all of the best players (i.e. because the best players will expect more money) making the competition the total opposite, i.e. no competition?

On the other hand I think it sux for the players in that case because no matter how good they are at their job, which is essentially what it is, they can't ever get a payrise for going above and beyond..

Although in saying this, I'm not sure if things like free cars etc count towards the salary cap. Can anyone confirm this?

[hazo]

We can argue all day about whether the salary cap should be there or not.

The fact of the matter is, that it is in place... whether we like it or not. It's a well known rule and teams have been stripped of points in the past (Bulldogs). Simply saying "the rule sucks so we can do what we want" isn't good enough. The other teams are playing by the rules. No excuses.

The Storm deserve everything they get. I also think the premise that News Limited and the Storm players knew nothing of it is a complete joke.

[Renee]

We can argue all day about whether the salary cap should be there or not.

The fact of the matter is, that it is in place... whether we like it or not. It's a well known rule and teams have been stripped of points in the past (Bulldogs). Simply saying "the rule sucks so we can do what we want" isn't good enough. The other teams are playing by the rules. No excuses.

The Storm deserve everything they get. I also think the premise that News Limited and the Storm players knew nothing of it is a complete joke.

I also think them not knowing about it is a joke... How can you not know?!

I also have to agree that the rule is there and if other teams are sticking by it so should they... but now one guy is going around saying that there are more teams in the league doing the same thing and he will prove it.. I think its the coach..

I will be surprised if the team still exists next year.