The Melbourne Storm may have cheated the salary cap but it’s the NRL’s CEO David Gallop that is damaging the game.

Maybe the days of sport belonging to the fans died back in the days of the Rugby League Super League war.

Because David Gallop as CEO of the NRL is certainly not representing the fans of rugby league.

His single handed action to strip two premierships from the Melbourne Storm is not only ludicrous, considering that one of the years they were only $200,000 over the cap and many other clubs who have done that have only received minor fines.

But to then deny Melbourne Storm the chance in 2010 to get below the salary cap, and start from zero so they can earn points for the rest of the year is the most ludicrous decision a CEO could ever make.

If his aim is to destroy the NRL then by no means don’t change a thing.

Just keep on doing what you’re doing David.

Those who don’t know David was employed by News Limited as a lawyer in the Super League War. Maybe because News Limited is wanting to exit the game it’s their strategy to have David help destroy it as a passing shot.

If not, then what the hell is he doing?

Fining Melbourne Storm and removing points earned to date this year, fans can handle as it rightly punishes them for their cheating off the field.

To not allow them to earn points if they get under the salary cap even if they take pay cuts no longer hurts just the storm but hurts any fan of the NRL and almost destroys the Melbourne Storm in the process.

Victorians must be scratching their heads.

The NRL has spent so much effort establishing the Storm in an AFL mad city and only now after ten years has the storm started to get any attention and then they destroy it with these stupid, heavy handed decisions.

And to ensure you that I’m not biased in this assessment I’m not a Storm fan but a Bulldogs fan. So even though it would be in the interest of other clubs fans to have the Melbourne Storm out for the year it’s not what the majority of fans want as their interest are for the good of the game not their self interests.

Maybe Mr Gallop could learn something from that and make decisions for the game’s interest.

So why isn’t David Gallop looking after the interests of the game?

Maybe he should stop being so arrogant and represent the fans and not alternate interests.

David Gallop refuses to listen to the fans and those who care about the game. Nor does he provide a logical reason why Melbourne can’t be allowed to get under the cap and start earning points again this year.

His excuses are absurd.

I hope Melbourne comes out this year and thrashes the majority of sides like they did to the Warriors last week in front of 24,000 Storm Fans including the team that will be awarded the Premiers later this year and make a mockery of David Gallop.

How will the 2010 Premiers feel to know they are actually the second best team in the comp and were convincingly beaten by the Storm?

It makes a mockery of the whole competition, and who is to blame.

Mr Gallop.

And anyone suggesting the Storm has only won games in recent years because of the salary cap abuse are mistaken.

As proved last weekend with Inglis out as well as others, Melbourne had to field numerous juniors and were way under the salary cap and they yet still won by a mile. Their attitude and excellent coaching is the main reason they win.

The problem is we have one guy who has never played football in his life, running the show and claims he listens to the CEO of all the clubs.

This is total nonsense

All the CEOs of the clubs aren’t willing to disagree with him to ensure they don’t fall out of line. So most, if honest do not agree with him but for political correctness say that they do.

Gallop thus claims support of the clubs and mandates when in reality there is no such support or consensus.

He didn’t even get the support of the NRL Board before handing out the punishment or think it through rationally.

What if a public company was operated this way?

It would be called dysfunctional and shareholders would demand a new CEO.

But this is the challenge.

The fans are shareholders and really have no say.

News Limited who Gallop worked for and answers to and the ARL are the two shareholders and the ARL could organise a chook raffle and ask why News Limited got control of the game in the first place.

Here are his excuses for anything constructive to improve the salary cap:

“My suggestion and others is to stop the restraint of trade whereby if a player gets a third party contract from a sponsor for some additional work or endorsements then according to the NRL this has to be counted in the salary cap.”

What nonsense.

And it’s a restriction of trade that the Players Association should challenge it.

Why not set a second cap for third party payments of say $2million per year ,per club.?

This would boost the revenue clubs and players can generate from additional sources.

It boosts the players income and takes financial pressure off the clubs yet keeps it a level playing field for a fair competition.

All clubs can chase the extra third party payments to help their players earn more and to retain more players.

This stops other codes stealing talent like they continue to do.

Also its obvious that clubs like Melbourne who develop talented juniors should get concessions for their efforts. One idea to create loyalty is to reward a club’s players, after 10 years, they get concessions.

Commonsense solutions.

Gallop illogical excuse is.

It would benefit some clubs ahead of others.

Nonsense.

Every club has the same right to chase third party sponsors and its capped at say $2 million pa per club and increased gradually to ensure majority clubs can achieve the close to the limit to keep it a level playing field.

Also why wasn’t Melbourne Storm given a salary cap concessions of at least $500,000 pa to attract players to Melbourne?

The AFL do this for their new teams.

But that’s right. The AFL have competent administrators unlike the amateur administrators of the NRL.

Also Gallop says the cap can’t be increased as the game can’t afford it.

Yet the clubs get only $50million pa from the $150 million the NRL earns.

Where’s the rest of the money go?

And with the billion dollar TV rights expected in 2012 then there is a mountain of money coming to increase the salary cap even now.

But allowing $2 million third party sponsors per year doesn’t cost the clubs or the game anymore money but gives a 50% income increase to players to improve the game and retain players and to remove financial pressure off the clubs.

Also State of Origin Players and Australian players should be paid a lot more to ensure the best players can stay in the game.

This extra money helps clubs retain players as the best players can earn money outside the salary cap.

These representative games earn a massive amount of money yet the players receive $6000 for Test Matches and $12,500 for a State of Origin.

Perth Team.

Here is his excuse why there isn’t a Perth Team in the comp to make it a truly national competition.

“We don’t wish to expand the competition at this time.”

Who said anything about expansion?

That’s a separate issue.

A Perth team would pay for itself from increased advertisers and TV rights as it becomes a truly national competition which misses out on many national advertisers otherwise.

Plus many in Perth are from rugby league strongholds of NSW and QLD or ACT.

Yet they suffer from no NRL side to support and are basically forced to watch AFL.

And for NRL fans that’s painful and should be a crime.

Yet we have to, many Sydney teams some who can’t even average 12,000 supporters a game such as Cronulla who are going to go broke anyway.

Why not move them to Perth before they do?

Let them play 2 or 3 games a year at Cronulla and they may actually sell their stadium out for once and the rest in Perth where they’d average 20,000 plus crowds and generate massive corporate sponsorship.

Perth is one of the richest cities in Australia yet a small city like Townsville has a successful NRL team while Perth doesn’t.

I’m sure the WA Government would contribute significantly to get a Perth team as they currently pay Souths and Cronulla in the past to play some home games their several times a year.

You see the NRL in many people’s opinion actually has a superior product over the AFL when it comes to watching a sport on TV as evidenced by the high TV ratings.

Yet the AFL dominates as the more successful code for one simple reason.

It has superior administrators and leadership running the game thus they achieve very large crowds and memberships and received more in the last TV rights.

The only thing that will transform NRL is if enough wealthy entrepreneurs and passionate fans in Australia who are serious about their game take charge of the game and remove it from its current failed leadership and administrators and vested interests.

Either through the Independent Commission or another takeover of the game.

David Gallop with his arrogant decisions and failure to listen to logical alternatives has sown the seeds of his downfall.

And if he isn’t removed from the game soon, the NRL will only continue to suffer.

Those who love the game should lobby for Gallop’s resignation.

If the real shareholders could vote right now that is, the fans, then I’m confident David Gallop would be voted out.

Why aren’t the fans given the choice to vote and decide the way the game is run ?

And why aren’t the 16 NRL clubs empowered to take a stand against Gallop and put the power back in the hands of them and the fans?

I’d like other NRL fans feedback.

And no offense to my friends that follow AFL.

Jamie McIntyre