KEY QUESTIONS FROM MANLY’S SALARY CAP BREACHES
* WHAT DID THEY DO?
NRL Integrity Unit investigators uncovered more than $1.5 million in promised payments to 13 players during negotiations over the past five years above their cap-disclosed salary. Five of those players were considered to be offered significant payments, while the other eight were smaller through offering of materials such as cars. The Sea Eagles then scrambled to find the additional payment to the players, often by introducing them to third parties. The NRL claimed the club then signed false total renumeration statements to the league, and claimed the third-party deals were made at arm’s length, when they were in fact procured by the club.
* HOW WERE THEY CAUGHT?
Manly approached the NRL to investigate the club last July, in a bid to quell rumours spread after the Strike Force Nuralda investigation into match-fixing ultimately disproved claims. The NRL, with some resistance from Manly, then seized more than 800,000 documents, including from e-mails, texts and all club laptops and hard drives. A breach notice was given last December, to which Manly responded in person in February, denying the claims.
* WHAT ARE THE EXACT PUNISHMENTS?
The Sea Eagles will have $330,000 struck from their 2018 and 2019 salary caps. There will be enough room to fill their 2018 roster with two minimum-salary $100,000 players for this year, and no players will have to be released. The club has been fined $750,000 – $250,000 of which is suspended and will be lifted if they meet governance reforms set by the NRL. Chief operating officer Neil Bare has had his registration suspended for 12 months, as has former chief executive Joe Kelly who is now with the Sydney Roosters. Both can have those bans lowered to nine months if they go under governance reforms. Coach Trent Barrett was also issued an official warning, but the NRL does not believe he has been involved in any wrongdoing. No players will be punished, but it’s understood some agents involved were also part of the Parramatta salary cap scandal.
* WHY DIDN’T THEY LOSE COMPETITION POINTS?
Manly are under the salary cap for 2018, and have therefore not had any points stripped. This differs significantly to Parramatta in 2016, Melbourne in 2010 and Canterbury in 2002.
* WHAT WILL THIS MEAN?
The punishments are likely to cost the club a middle-range player in 2019. Manly have already confirmed on Sunday to NRL.com that off-contract prop Darcy Lussick was free to look elsewhere for a better deal for next year. The dramas also played a role in Manly missing out on both Mitchell Pearce and Trent Hodkinson.
* HOW HAVE MANLY RESPONDED?
Manly were yet to release a statement on Monday afternoon, and both chairman Scott Penn and chief executive Lyall Gorman have been approached for comment. Penn and the Sea Eagles have long denied any wrongdoing.