Whenever, I'm involved in a salary cap discussion, it almost inexorably ends with the mutual recognition that: "Well, every body cheats the cap, Parra just got caught".
Is it any wonder that the NRL supporter base has this opinion when stories and quotes like the above make weekly appearances in Rugby League media.
The NRL has set a precedent in their relentless and exhaustive pursuit of Parramatta over salary cap matters, and they can no longer allow player managers and their clients to continually leak such information to journalists as part of negotiating tactics.
The NRL justified their decision to send in the forensic auditors, to take phones and computers on the basis of leaked information. When asked why they didn't do the same for other clubs, they replied they were not given the same information about other clubs.
However, stories like this are just par for the course. We all know they have been leaked by player representatives. How can the NRL not consider these stories as grounds for further investigation?
After all, other regulator use media speculation as grounds for investigation. As a young journalist, I once had an entrepreneur blast the crap out of me, because I'd written he was relocating his business to Europe, partly for tax purposes, and the ATO was literally asking questions the next day.
Every time one of these stories comes out, the NRL should be sending in the forensic auditors to investigate the manager and player just as feverishly as they investigated Parramatta.
Based on what we've seen in the media, Semi Radradra's manager features pretty prominently in evidence from the breach notice.
Leaking this story, brings the NRL into disrepute. It alleges that the club has guaranteed TPA money to a player and undermines any trust that the NRL community has left in the reliability of the salary cap system. Let's remember that any TPAs must be registered with the NRL and that it would be a simple matter for the NRL to investigate the status of any TPA. When a story like this leaks, at the very least they must demand that club and manager publicly resolve the allegation.
We now have a manager who is named on multiple ocassions in the same salary cap evidence that was used to level charges against our executives, directors and the club. We now have a player manager who was obviously complicit in allowing his player to consider walking out on an NRL contract. And we now have a manager who may be further complicity in more rumours and allegations about more TPA allegations. How can the NRL say they are consistent when player managers and their representatives have different rules as to the clubs themselves?
If the NRL wants to start repairing damage to the code's reputation, they must have zero tolerance about salary cap abuse, whether it be at a club or player level, and investigate every instance of abuse with the same veracity.
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He is Greek Say no more
Who is the author of the above article?
The NRL did say early on after they got all the stuff from the club that they were going to look into the role of player agents.
Also I have been saying the same things about TPA's having to be registered on this site for a while now & have been lampooned by some saying I was wrong & the NRL has nothing to do with them.
Arh Well we just sit back & watch nothing happen about this.
Some of us do actually write original stuff, Colin!
I realise the difficulties for the NRL and policing the cap, but I'm so sick to death of player managers who are the one's who abuse the system, because they're too incompetent to find TPAs for their own clients, and then are the first to leak information.
The NRL won't stop salary cap rorting by hitting the clubs. Ultimately, the clubs are going to do what they have to do to stay competitive. The NRL stops TPA abuse by hitting the player managers, because if the player manager's know they face life re-registration if they are found to have participated in a TPA that doesn't tick all the boxes, if the player managers know that every time there is TPA speculation they are going to have to hand over their computer and phone for a forensic audit, then that is when the NRL will actually be able to slow down what is essentially a black market for TPAs.
I think the delay by the NRL to give their final verdict is telling. It would seem that there is much more to the TPA scandal than the media has led us to believe, and the NRL is at odds with what to do about it. We shall soon see whether the NRL is serious about cleaning up contracts or whether they will continue on with their head in the sand. My money would be on the latter though unfortunately, as this NRL management has not shown any fortitude whatsoever.
Another recent report of a player mnager chasing a club for "club garranteed" payments was Forans manager chasing $140,000 from Manly.
That has gone deathly quiet.
Mate, not saying I hold a copyright on things, I guess like so many of us here, its just getting a bit long winded.
I don't in any way disagree with you regarding the TPA & managers role in them. Thing to me is how is that when a TPA goes belly up, the players start asking where is the money, it is supposed to be guaranteed, at which point of time the NRL should be asking the questions. Maybe something simple in a normal contract with a box to be ticked & signed by the various parties if there is a TPA agreement with this player.
Yes, tick & it has to be legal, no box well there is nothing else & there is no case for payment. Surelly there is some way that it can be covered.
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