Although i put it in a rather convoluted way in a previous post its now apparent in the aussie media that they realise the storm must have to play with a legal salary cap squad this year too.Cuts are admitted to be forthcoming.
taxman acknowledging situation but not yet actively involved is what i read.

Are there possible criminal consequences here?

Interesting, with most clubs being up to their salary cap limit who'll want to take the extra players on?

It depends and of course Aussie laws could be different. I assume that certain individuals could be guilty of false accounting. Then there is the whole issue of tax from corporate down to players personal tax liabilities, has it been paid correctly, has it been avoided, have the paid less overall by using two set of accounts?

This is going to rumble on for some time and players could find themselves implicated but it could be that this deception has been very tightly controlled by only a handful of people and players/agents may not have been complicit to the fraud. In some ways, if they have managed to keep this deception secret for 5 seasons, then as much as it does sound odd that players were not aware of this double accounting system I am starting to think they might not have known anything. The less people that know the less chance there is of being caught! Lets say a player knew (even if just half a story) and then fell out with the club/players... lets face it, it happens quite often, what would be the first thing he would do! Blow the whistle of course!

This could just be a small handful of people at the club who have managed to fool everyone for quite a long time!

French rugby union would be my guess. I'd be amazed if Toulon weren't on the phone already given that half of their 3/4 line is already made up of ex NRL players.

There isn't the money in either the NRL or Super League to start attracting the likes of Billy Slater or Greg Inglis - certainly not this season and I'd say probably not next season either. There also the issue that if criminal charges do follow from this, some players may well have trouble getting into the UK at all given previous examples.

I can see the game losing some outstanding talent to the other code very shortly.

Leeds didn't win the game and therefore didn't earn the winners prize money either. Was there a losers cheque or was it winner takes all?

The money should go to the RFL and let them decide what use to put it to.

They may even decide to hand it over to Leeds. I don't see the players receiving the bonus though even if it does find it's way back to the club unless the RFL deem that to be off the cap in these exceptional circumstances.

I doubt he'll be a big earner so he'll not be first on the list of departures. From he and his family's perspective he already is home - they've lived there for the last 5 years.

That could also apply to the other teams in the NRL who are getting a share of the Storms prize money. Although I do agree there could be cap altercations as we are not the winners of the trophy and as such not entitled to the prize money. I don't know if there will be special dispensation for that, but if there was to be you could just imagine the comments coming from other teams supporters. What a mess this is causing on both sides of the world.

Presumably that is why the NRL are dividing the prize money between all the clubs rather than simply giving it to Paramatta, etc. If the WCC money is to be distributed at all then it should be distributed to all clubs and not just Leeds because regardless of the reason for Storm existing in their present form, Leeds could not beat the team on the day. Personally, I'd rather see the prize money go to lower division clubs and give them a bit of a helping hand.

Although I agree that hefty punishment is needed for Storm, I think taking away their ability to accumulate points this season is OTT. It does not take into account that (a) there is every possibility no player knew what was going on and (b) the fans do not deserve to be supporting a team that has effectively been rendered null and void for this season.

Not that I care and the money would make a great deal more different to little clubs like Saints than it would Leeds but, they divided the prize money in the NRl between all the clubs who had a chance to win the premiership.

There was only one club in Super League who had the chance to win the WCC, Leeds Rhinos.

Still, I am all for giving the money to lesser clubs. Should we make the cheque out to Saint Helen's RLFC or is their a parent company?

But they didn't, so they shouldn't get the prize. And that is why I suggested lower division clubs get the money.

I'll ignore the rest of your post because it is silly.

Who didn't what?

I repeat, there is only the Leeds Rhinos who were "cheated" out of the WCC prize money. Nobody else.

So, you pitch up at the Olympic Stadium in deepest Stratford for the 100 meters final in 2012 ....

You run a great race, but saldy only manage to finish second.

But, hang on, you spin your head around towards the jumbotron showing the action reply and find the bloke who has beaten you to first place did it not by running, but actually on the back of a pushbike.

And you'd be happy to accept that final result as it stands then ?

On the way back from Perpignan, I stopped in Paris and went to Stade Jean Bouin, where they held the France Vs England game last year.

It is home to Stade Francais, who were 'training' and of course, seeing the back line going through their paces I subsequently realised that one of them was probably Mark Gasnier.

It's bad enough not being able to wear the green & gold again, but having to play and train in PINK (well, OK, blue with pink trim) .....

That's like buying a Ferrari and using it as a taxi.

You didn't win the WCC.


You weren't cheated out of anything because you lost. Whether the club cheated or not, you lost to the team and it was the team that you played, not the club. I don't see why you should be awarded prize money when you didn't win the prize.