It is 13 years (has it really been that long?) since former NRL Chief Executive Officer David Gallop announced Melbourne Storm’s unprecedented, eviscerating punishment for salary cap breaches.
The removal of 2 premierships, 3 minor premierships and a World Cup Challenge title, a fine the equal of the breach amount, and virtual elimination from the 2010 competition.
It was a shocking and mesmerising time, for its illuminating expose of the worst aspects of human nature. At its heart was deceit but more compelling were the many unhinged responses.
Last week, the Storm returned to the Docklands stadium, the scene of their first game after the 2010 sentence was handed down.
I went to that game and, as Craig Bellamy noted recently, didn’t expect anyone to turn up. It was made more significant after the team’s dramatic walk towards the cameras at the recently completed AAMI Park earlier in the week.
As a Storm supporter it was difficult to excuse the rorting and to allay my fears it was the cause of the success of the early Bellamy era. We walked into the stadium with a sense of guilt and dread but also exhilaration. It was still us versus them.
As far as the premiership was concerned, the team’s thumping of the hapless Warriors was meaningless.
but as a unique phenomenon (no team had ever played for no premiership points) and a fortifying moment for a team expressing their shock and anger towards those administrators responsible for the rorting, and as a response to the hate they endured at a level not seen before or since, despite several teams being found guilty of extensive breaches – it was exhilarating
let’s return to the afternoon of 22nd april, 2010 as gallop methodically removed all of bellamy’s team’s achievements.
the media labelled it the darkest day in australian sport. storm chairman rob moodie thought he needed to apologise to the ‘australian people
others made comparisons with infamous us scandals such as watergate, referring to the deceit as stormgate. the club’s owner news ltd.’s daily telegraph compared it to baseball’s chicago black sox match fixing affai
inside the storm changerooms, the response was shock and disbelie
before the public announcement, craig bellamy was given the job of informing the playing group. according to journalist paul kennedy’s book ‘storm cloud’, bellamy wasn’t up to it: “the coach, dripping a few sentences, began crying and could not finish. (frank) ponissi stepped in and completed the task. some players (including cameron smith) broke down. perhaps the worst thing was seeing bellamy so crushed
and then the encroaching menace from outside..”f.r.’.s..from outside.
