They don't get the title, though they may get the prize money.

rlhttp://www.sportinglife.com/rugbyleague/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME

Quote: king warrior "The prize fund includes £50,000 Melbourne collected for beating Leeds 18-10 in the Gillette World Club Challenge at Elland Road in February and that money could now go to the Super League club.
'"

This is huge news, I cannot believe it!

Would Madge of known?

First thought though, they must have to release players, Madge get in their, you know who we need!

Slater + Inglis + Blair please

Would imagine we'd be up against thr rest of the NRL, SL and union. Maybe even union would have an advantage due to their higher salary cap. Wouldn't most NRL and SL be up to the cap already being mid-season?

It may well be - in fact it seems likely - that the likes of Slater and Inglis will now go to RU. Or at least they'll be very intensely courted by RU.

Will that bother the Aussies sufficiently to make them reconsider the cap? Who knows.

I wonder if any directors and coaches of British clubs who have been successful in the last 10 years will be feeling a bit nervous this morning?

Though the chances of certain successful clubs ever being hauled over the coals for the interesting payment structures and other wheezes they used are pretty low, the RFL has turned a blind eye to these issues for years...

I don't condone what Melbourne are alleged to have done, but the posters on here pointing out how unfair it is that teams who develop players have to then let many of them go are quite right. Its just one of a number of desperately unfair and misguided aspects to a ridiculous system. The fact that its being repeatedly flouted in Australia and here in GB is clear evidence that the SC isn't working (how many times have muppet pro-SC posters been on this board touting the success of the Aussie cap system - I'd like to say that these people are probably feeling foolish today but I think we know that most of them don't really believe in the SC they just fear change, want to put their club first at all costs and hate and fear Wigan).

We and the Aussies need a system that rewards player development, gives clubs an incentive to grow crowds and revenues and stops clubs from spending too much (whether on players or stadiums or whatever). That's the kind of system I'd like to see both leagues adopt.

Madge has much better knowledge of those players than anyone else. Maybe even much younger players who have not played in the NRL yet.

widdop in for Phelps, get a good player still but lose a quota player

Just seen Mathers' Twitter...

Apparently Matt King has a tattoo saying ''Melbourne Storm 2007 NRL champions''.

Oh dear!

I would think we have an advantage over other SL clubs with MM being here

Saying that were likely at the cap or very close to it, signing one or two players for next season is a possibility although it would mean cutting some players who are already at our club

Apparently, sales of shredders in Warrington have increased dramatically this morning...

hahaha

They have many other quality players as well. I would think Roberts will be our FB next year.

Got a few second hand from Uncle Mo

The worst bit from all this for me is that the Storm could well lose players to the new Union club, the Reds. This is of course now run by Waldron.
So who will be the winners and who are the losers?
The Storm or what's left of them will be the real losers along with Rugby League.