NRL board approves Storm penalties

NRL board members have given their backing to the penalties imposed on disgraced
former premiers Melbourne Storm following breaches of the salary cap.
On Thursday NRL boss David Gallop acted alone in punishing the club, fearing a
conflict of interest for the three board members from News Limited, the owners of
the Storm.
This including stripping the club of two premierships and three minor premierships
and wiping out all points for this season.
They were ordered to return $1.1 million in prize money and fined $500,000 having
exceeded the cap by a total of $1.7m over a five-year period.
The six-member board, which consists of Keith Brodie, Roy Miller and Katie Page for
News Limited plus ARL members Barry Pierce, John Chalk and Bob Millward, held a
telephone conference on Saturday to discuss the decision.
While not formally recording a vote all six gave their support to the ruling.
Gallop said in a statement released late on Saturday that the decision to make Storm
play the remainder of the season for no points was debated, but said the NRL had
little option but to stand by the ruling.
"The board today had the chance to discuss the complexity of the issues going
forward and have been extremely supportive," Gallop said.
"Nobody can look forward to the prospect of a team playing without accumulating
points but the alternatives are both impractical and unacceptable in a fair
competition.
"The people responsible for the game being in this position are those who engineered
five years of systematic cheating of the rules.
"The benefits of that cannot be simply overturned in a week.
"The NRL went to considerable lengths to look at every possible option and that
includes the ones that have been discussed in the aftermath of Thursday's
announcement.
"If Melbourne were to accumulate points in 2010, any team that finished behind them
this year would have the right to feel cheated."
Earlier on Saturday, an emotional Craig Bellamy addressed 2,000 supporters at the
club's new AAMI Park, with the Storm coach vowing he and the players would not walk
away.
Bellamy said the last 48 hours had been the toughest of his and his players'
sporting lives.
Speaking from a prepared statement and with his players standing behind him, Bellamy
said he welcomed the continued probe into the club.
"The two things they can never take away are our dignity and our integrity," Bellamy
said.
"That is why we welcome the full forensic investigation that is taking place at this
club. We know we will be investigated. We welcome that.
"I love this club. I love these players. These players love our club. This is a
great club, it's a strong club, it's a very proud club.
"This is why we stand here today united. We are not going anywhere. We ain't going
to surrender. We will not walk away from this challenge."
Bellamy insisted the rest of the season mattered deeply to him and his players ahead
of Sunday's clash with the Warriors at Etihad Stadium.
"We will fight our way back from here. It starts today and tomorrow it starts on the
field," Bellamy said.
The Storm, who lost two major sponsors on Friday, did receive a rare piece of good
news with kit manufactures KooGa confirming they will stand by the club.