Salary Cap Needs A Major Revamp (2016)

In the wake of last week’s decision by the NRL to hand down $1 million fine to the Parramatta Eels and dock all 12 points they had accumulated for the year – among other punishments – for salary cap breaches dating back to 2013, there have been many pundits picking at the bones of the Parramatta board.

This piece is by no means a criticism of the sentence handed down, nor is it a defence of the Parramatta club. But the fact that such excessive breaches can occur not once, but twice since the Bulldogs were busted in 2002 is the issue that should have alarm bells ringing.

The fact Parramatta consciously decided to run such a scheme after what happened to the Storm is both brazen and stupid. The fact it took the NRL salary cap auditors over three years to find is concerning.

But perhaps this isn’t a black and white issue whereby clubs are breaking the rules. If we look back since the NRL began in 1998, we can see that there have been over 100 separate instances of the salary cap having been breached, big and small. So far the NRL has collected almost $8 million in fines since 1998.

The Bulldogs punishment was for breaches made from 2000-2002. In 2000, the NRL had handed the club a $50,000 fine for exceeding the cap. This raises the question: how did the auditors not see a problem then?

When Melbourne was busted in 2010 for breaches made since 2006 it shocked everyone. But Melbourne had received fines for breaching the cap in 2006 ($63,266), 2007 ($13,917) and 2009 ($15,000). Auditors had three opportunities there, yet still failed to find anything odd. It took a whistle-blower to reveal the scheme.

Now Parramatta has been done for breaches dating back to 2013. Not surprisingly, they had been found to have majorly breached the 2014 salary cap in an audit the following year, which saw the club fined $465,000, while there was strong talk they’d start the 2016 season with negative four competition points.

Parramatta was forced to make changes to the way the club was governed to appease the NRL. It’s laughable that the governance of the Parramatta club which the NRL was happy with is now being held responsible for the major breaches the club has made since 2013.

Every club has received fines for all forms of cap breaches since 1998, such as second-tier cap breaches, unregistered players and exceeding the top tier cap, among others.

There have been just five seasons since 1998 where a team hasn’t been intentionally cheating the cap in an intricate and excessive manner. Canterbury’s scheme was for 2000-2002, Melbourne’s for 2006-10 and Parramatta’s from 2013-16, each more intricate than the last.

 
It’s time to fix the salary cap, as it’s clearly riddled with loopholes. The auditing system and process needs a revamp, too. Teams will be less likely to cheat if they know the auditors can come at any time, more than once a year. Players get drug tested at no notice at all times of the day – there’s no reason why clubs shouldn’t be audited the same way.

**This article appeared on the Commentary Box Sports website**

What A Day! (2004)

I awaken, ready to venture to Shark Park for the match between Cronulla and Parramatta. When I get out of the shower I realise its 11am and not 10am. My train is due to depart at 11.27am. I look in the wallet, only $20. I rush to an ATM, and take out $60. I'm set!

I head to the train station and buy my ticket – As I am a student I decided that I come under the 'student' title. I pay my fare and head to the platform. A minute later I'm told there is no train service from Newcastle to Sydney. So I had to go and get a bus instead.

I find a bus and get re-directed to a connecting bus, which was an express. I thought ‘you beauty; this'll save me some time!’

The bus trip was good; I even managed a nap and some reading. When we arrived at Sydney the bus driver said into the microphone, ‘does anyone know how to get to Central Station from here?’ Everyone thought he was joking. Then he informed us he was serious!

The ensuing 80 minutes was spent travelling in circles and some very ordinary driving. At one stage the driver attempted to turn a corner and the side of the bus hit the traffic lights and cracked one of the windows. He reversed up and tried to get around it, hitting the traffic light once again and cracking the same window even more.

He decided to go straight ahead and turn at the next intersection. This ended up in him running up onto a traffic island, hitting a Keep Left sign and denting the drivers’ side of the bus.

We eventually found Central Station ... and drove past it. He finally succumbed and realised that after an hour he needed help. He rang a friend and asked them to come down, find him, then drive their car in front of him, leading us to the depot at Central Station.

The friend couldn't find him.

While we were waiting, the bus was parked in a No Parking area for at least 15 minutes. A Canadian traveller who was asleep the whole time woke up and heard of the story. He found a map and managed to direct the driver to the station.

I got to the football ground easily after that. At Shark Park, some young lady gave me a spare ticket she had. BONUS! I'm into the ground for free!

I met some great people at the game from the various Rugby League forums I frequent. We watched the Sharks pretend to be a competitive rugby league side. For the second time this year, I watched the Sharks play bad football at their home ground. I was not happy.

We all ventured to the leagues club for a few hours where Ron talked about himself and took photos, showed his biceps and took part in some disturbing banter with myself.

I left around 10ish and wandered to Woolooware Station, hoping I remembered how to get there. Some drunken Parramatta fan who spoke the bleeding obvious, found me on the way to the station. By the time I got to the station, the drunken guy had wandered off aimlessly. Another drunken guy told me his thoughts on the Sharks, which were quite stupid as well. I get on the train and on my way home.

Then a ticket inspector arrives. I pull out my ticket, he asks for my student ID. I show him my TAFE card and he says ‘that’s not adequate ID,’ and he showed me what was. I cop a $200 fine for fare evasion. He let me off for having my feet on the seat opposite me, as he said I was very co-operative. (Jeez thanks!).

I got to central, found my bus, and headed home, this time with a bus driver who knew where he was going and how to operate the machine. I finally get home at 1.15am.

I hope now the Sharks fans appreciate what I went through to support them today, and I will continue to support them in the future. GO YOU SHARKS!