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Gallop Q & A reveals extent of investigations into club and players
Gallop reveals extent of investigations into club and players
JOSH RAKIC
April 25, 2010
Will the 2010 NRL television advertising campaign continue to air with its footage of the Melbourne Storm as 2009 premiers, given the fact last year's was pulled after Brett Stewart and Greg Inglis were implicated in assault allegations?
It's pretty much finished being used, that campaign, anyway, so we don't have any plans to change it at this stage. It's not an issue.
Can you elaborate on the time frame in which investigations over Melbourne's salary cap fraud first got under way and how long proceedings have gone on for?
It's hard to say … Ian Schubert has been working on this for some time.
Some time? Does that mean some months, or years even?
Some months.
What first raised the red flag that Melbourne Storm were cheating the salary cap?
A bit of this has been information from some of the stuff Ian was originally suspicious about and then bits of information came in and fell into place over time. There were a number of things that Ian was suspicious about, we got some information from an informant, we got the file that was behind the PA's desk and things started to fall into place. But really, the full picture wasn't known until they came in on Thursday lunchtime.
How much involvement have you had in investigations and does Ian Schubert report directly to you as soon as concerns are raised?
It depends. Sometimes he beavers away until he's got a bit more of it that it's worth coming to me about. I don't spend every day on the salary cap with him.
Do you know exactly what date Ian Schubert first became concerned
No, I don't. It was last year some time.
Was Brett Finch's signing with the club at the beginning of 2009 one of the indicators something wasn't right given he allegedly signed on for $50,000 but was worth in NRL value more than $250,000?
I don't know. I don't know what Ian did with that. That's the sort of stuff he keeps to himself until he can find evidence of any wrongdoing. Then he comes to us.
Willie Mason had all but agreed to terms with the Melbourne Storm in December before his offer was withdrawn at the last minute. Was that ''one of the things that fell into place'' for you or a non-issue?
Again, I don't know what Ian did with that. It wasn't a concern for me.
Has the NRL made any inroads into who placed bets on Melbourne to win the wooden spoon just hours before the Storm board met the NRL?
We've written to the betting agencies asking for information about bets. We sent them all letters on Friday, requesting them to tell us who placed the bets.
Are you aware that Betfair had a bet placed for $70 for Melbourne Storm to win the wooden spoon at odds of 300-1 on April 13 - the very same day Storm chairman Rob Moodie said he discovered the extent of the club's salary cap rorting?
No, the NRL is not aware of that. That's something we will be asking questions about. The investigation and inquiries are not stopping yet so we'll be working around the clock.
Is events promoter Andrew McManus still of interest to the NRL given his involvement with the Melbourne Storm through player appearance payments?
Certainly. Ian has been talking to him over a considerable period of time. Yes [he is still of interest].
Are certain players being investigated by the NRL at this time and, if so, should they be found guilty of knowingly receiving illegal payments will they be personally punished by the NRL?
Our focus is on the club and its primary obligation to stay within the cap. There may not necessarily be any personal punishment to players.
Do you expect any more revelations in Melbourne in the following days?
There's going to be a lot more information come out. I anticipate that in the next few days and even weeks.
Has the NRL been approached by the Super League club Leeds Rhinos about returning the $84,000 prizemoney won in the World Club Challenge in February?
It's not something we've been formally approached about but obviously the NRL would have to consider it. It's something we will have to look at paying and maybe charging the club. But we haven't considered it yet.
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/gallop-reveals-extent-of-investigations-into-club-and-players-20100424-tkee.html
Gallop reveals extent of investigations into club and players
JOSH RAKIC
April 25, 2010
Will the 2010 NRL television advertising campaign continue to air with its footage of the Melbourne Storm as 2009 premiers, given the fact last year's was pulled after Brett Stewart and Greg Inglis were implicated in assault allegations?
It's pretty much finished being used, that campaign, anyway, so we don't have any plans to change it at this stage. It's not an issue.
Can you elaborate on the time frame in which investigations over Melbourne's salary cap fraud first got under way and how long proceedings have gone on for?
It's hard to say … Ian Schubert has been working on this for some time.
Some time? Does that mean some months, or years even?
Some months.
What first raised the red flag that Melbourne Storm were cheating the salary cap?
A bit of this has been information from some of the stuff Ian was originally suspicious about and then bits of information came in and fell into place over time. There were a number of things that Ian was suspicious about, we got some information from an informant, we got the file that was behind the PA's desk and things started to fall into place. But really, the full picture wasn't known until they came in on Thursday lunchtime.
How much involvement have you had in investigations and does Ian Schubert report directly to you as soon as concerns are raised?
It depends. Sometimes he beavers away until he's got a bit more of it that it's worth coming to me about. I don't spend every day on the salary cap with him.
Do you know exactly what date Ian Schubert first became concerned
No, I don't. It was last year some time.
Was Brett Finch's signing with the club at the beginning of 2009 one of the indicators something wasn't right given he allegedly signed on for $50,000 but was worth in NRL value more than $250,000?
I don't know. I don't know what Ian did with that. That's the sort of stuff he keeps to himself until he can find evidence of any wrongdoing. Then he comes to us.
Willie Mason had all but agreed to terms with the Melbourne Storm in December before his offer was withdrawn at the last minute. Was that ''one of the things that fell into place'' for you or a non-issue?
Again, I don't know what Ian did with that. It wasn't a concern for me.
Has the NRL made any inroads into who placed bets on Melbourne to win the wooden spoon just hours before the Storm board met the NRL?
We've written to the betting agencies asking for information about bets. We sent them all letters on Friday, requesting them to tell us who placed the bets.
Are you aware that Betfair had a bet placed for $70 for Melbourne Storm to win the wooden spoon at odds of 300-1 on April 13 - the very same day Storm chairman Rob Moodie said he discovered the extent of the club's salary cap rorting?
No, the NRL is not aware of that. That's something we will be asking questions about. The investigation and inquiries are not stopping yet so we'll be working around the clock.
Is events promoter Andrew McManus still of interest to the NRL given his involvement with the Melbourne Storm through player appearance payments?
Certainly. Ian has been talking to him over a considerable period of time. Yes [he is still of interest].
Are certain players being investigated by the NRL at this time and, if so, should they be found guilty of knowingly receiving illegal payments will they be personally punished by the NRL?
Our focus is on the club and its primary obligation to stay within the cap. There may not necessarily be any personal punishment to players.
Do you expect any more revelations in Melbourne in the following days?
There's going to be a lot more information come out. I anticipate that in the next few days and even weeks.
Has the NRL been approached by the Super League club Leeds Rhinos about returning the $84,000 prizemoney won in the World Club Challenge in February?
It's not something we've been formally approached about but obviously the NRL would have to consider it. It's something we will have to look at paying and maybe charging the club. But we haven't considered it yet.
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/gallop-reveals-extent-of-investigations-into-club-and-players-20100424-tkee.html
