Melbourne Storm salary cap scandal: have your say

In breaking news, the Melbourne Storm, the NRL’s 2007 and 2009 premiers, have been caught for salary cap breaches and stripped of their two premierships.

This move by the NRL is unprecedented.

The Melbourne Storm have also had all premiership points stripped off them for the 2010 season, and are unable to accrue any more points for the remainder of the 2010 season.

The effects of this will be wide reaching.

What now for the future of the Melbourne Storm? Their fans? Their sponsors?

How is the integrity of the Melbourne Storm, and the NRL competition as a whole, to be judged?

What is the future of rugby league in Victoria?

Is it too harsh? Is it too lenient?

There’s a whole lot more to come from this story.

If you are a Rugby League fan, or a sports fan in general, what to you make of this?

*** update ***

Kudos to Crikey Sports reader Steve Pratt who got me thinking…

Tattoos.

My god, you’re going to be bitterly disappointed if you have a “Storm premiers” tattoo.

Like this.

*** Update ***

Some interesting reading from around the traps:

• Crikey Sports Ant Halstead
• Popular rugby league forum League Unlimited has a forum dedicated to the scandal.
• SMH‘s Brad Walter, “More questions raised about extent of News Ltd’s involvement“
• Back Page Lead has these stories:
  
  • From the penthouse to the you-know-where (Jon Pierik on Brian Waldron)
  • I’m Melbourne’s arch-critic but all I feel is empty (by Malclom Knox)
  • Sorry Dally, but it’s the right decision (by Steve Mascord)
• The Oz‘s Patrick Smith, “Sad for sport, great for rugby league“
• The Age‘s Greg Baum, “No telling if league can survive in Melbourne“
• “Melbourne Storm scandal could land Leeds Rhinos £50,000 windfall” — The Guardian