How bad have the storm been for the NRL?

Discussion in 'The Cesspit: Rugby League Discussion' started by Sultan Pepper, Oct 2, 2017.

  1. Sultan Pepper HG Emm

    Built a team and a culture on systematic cheating, were so dominant through that cheating that every other side tried to copy/adopt their methods, every team now seems to have played the same about a decade. They're were a financial basket case and propped up by news corp for ages, who knows if they actually have any real fans (their numbers are good now but playing in half of the grand finals for a decade and making the top 4 just about every year will do that). The development of their spine (which I doubt very much stays together without the initial cheating) could also be argued to have impacted origin.

    It seems to me the little parts of their game plan that eventually spread over the entire nrl, general ruck nonsense, wrestling, the double sweeper play etc, are simple but designed to turn the game into a grind where they'd back themselves in precisely because they'd have a team that was worth twice as much as everyone else. No they've been back on the same cap as everyone else, but theyve maintained that ill gotten culture and those ill gotten stars.

    You look at the teams that were in grand finals about the time the storm started their dominance and who there key/spine players were, generally within two years at least one was gone (or they were just shit).

    04 Dogs: Patten, Sherwin, Anasta: Anasta went to Roosters in 06
    05 Tigers: Benji, Prince, Farah: Prince left for Titans 07
    06 Broncos: doesn't really apply, although Hunt was gone in his prime
    07 Manly: Monaghan, Stewart, Orford: Monaghan to super league
    08 Manly: Orford, Ballin, Stewart: Orford gone
    09 Parra: bit of a special case given their shitness prior and post grand final
    10: Dragons: Boyd, Soward, Hornby: Boyd gone two years later
    11 Manly: actually held together quite well, although have since lost Foran
    12: Dogs: Barba gone to Broncos
    13: Roosters: Friend, Maloney, Pearce, (SBW)--- Maloney gone, SBW gone
    14: Souths: Inglis, Reynolds, Luke, (Burgess): Luke gone 2 years later, Burgess gone following year

    I just see no possible way they keep all 3 of Cronk, Slater, Smith there their entire careers given this trend without the initial cheating

    Any one agree with the general gist?
     
    Julian likes this.
  2. Maroon_Faithful M Faithful

    Nah I disagree. They came up through the grades together. And there's definitely been a big influence from Bellamy in keeping them there. Smith was going to leave but stayed. And playing in Melbourne suits their reserved personalities imo.

    The problem I have is that they don't represent the city of Melbourne because none of them come from Melbourne. They're essentially a displaced QLD side with NSWmen and Kiwis making up the rest. Smith, Cronk, Slater, Inglis, Folau, Munster, Glasby, Chambers, Nielsen, Johnson, A. Kaufusi all debuted for QLD in Origin whilst at Melbourne. As well as Crocker and O'Neill. And a host of others who didn't or haven't yet played Origin; Friend, Lowe, F. Kaufusi, Hampton, Samau, Croft, Anderson, etc.

    Melbourne have done wonders for QLD RL because their system under Bellamy is just so good at turning footballers into consummate professionals and quality players. It's actually better than having a second Brisbane team from that point of view. But for all their superior ability, at least clubs like the Warriors actually represent their location.
     
    Cribbage likes this.
  3. Alec AD Funkotron

    Their wrestling shit is still a butthole cancer of the NRL. Can't believe nothing has been done about it yet. Wait til refs call held, and that's when Melbourne decide to twist and put players on their backs. I miss the hitting and the fast footy.

    Their attack was puke worthy to watch until Slater came back too.

    I agree that they probably wouldn't have kept all 3 without cheating the cap.
     
  4. Julian BJ Taylor

    Agree with Emm and disagree with MF.

    The systematic cheating and overpaying is so obviously what originally kept the big 4 together 10-7 years ago. When they got done and it was proven they had ruined the grand finals for every rugby league fan; they should have been forced to release their 5 highest paid players. Clubs in trouble since have had to sell off players in fire sales and end up in ridiculous trouble because of it. What did Melbourne have to do? SFA. They never even renounced their 'premierships'.

    I imagine Slater, Smith (and Cronk) probably even qualify for the extended period player % exemptions which is the biggest gee up of it all.
     
  5. Maroon_Faithful M Faithful

    Their priorities were clearly keeping those three. They didn't let Slater go. They let Inglis go. They didn't let Cronk go. They let Folau go. They didnt let Smith go. They let Hoffman and Blair and White go.

    And I don't think any of the big three didn't go because the latter players were there. Hence why they've all stayed despite those losses which all happened around the time of the scandal.
     
  6. Magic AJ Parker

    I love the fact that a club has been able to build itself around a core group of word class players who will all be one club men (assuming Cronk retires).

    I love the fact that it should take such a great side to win a premiership.

    I just fucking hate that it's the Melbourne Storm. The biggest cheaters in the history of the game.

    I hate what the salary cap has done to the game where by a team who has the best luck with injuries, makes a few smart recruitmemt decisions and hits form at the right time can go from wooden spooners to title contenders in the space of 12 months. Yes I know my team did it in 2010 & 13.

    But fuck the Storm. We offered RTS 500k, the Warriors offered him 800k. If we could've done a Storm and offered him two contracts for a cool million he would've stayed and you could just as easily make the same argument about him never leaving as MF is making about Slater/Cronk/Smith... we'll never know.

    But I would've loved to have had a spine of RTS, Pearce and Friend to follow for the next 8 years.

    Who knows where we would've been as a team this year.. maybe we could've competed with the Storm.

    Manly fans would make the same argument about Foran.

    So yeh they have been shit for the comp IMO. But they've proven that leveling talent through a salary cap doesn't provide the best quality of footy, just closer contests.

    Some AFL cunt wrote a brilliant article about all this after their GF this year and I've probably regurgitated half of what he said but it was so on point I just can't find the article for the life of me now.
     
    Sultan Pepper likes this.
  7. Maroon_Faithful M Faithful

    Yeah we kinda do. Smith was offered huge money to return home to Brisbane and was ready to sign. He didn't. RTS was offered huge money to return home to NZ..........and did.
     
  8. Magic AJ Parker

    That was the contract after he was already paid his illegal contract, sorry contracts* yes?
     
  9. Maroon_Faithful M Faithful

    Yes. 2015.
     
  10. Sultan Pepper HG Emm

    This is kind of my point, was ready to return home but the lure of success and the culture of Melbourne kept him there, which I argue is ill gotten for the most part.

    Perhaps if Roosters had had systematically rorted the cap, like Melbourne, for years leading up to that, Sonny Bill may have still been on the books, who knows.
     
  11. Maroon_Faithful M Faithful

    How do you know the lure of success kept him there? He wasn't ready to return home. He was considering going home for his family's sake. And his wife said he didn't have to.

    How can you say the culture is ill-gotten? It's driven by Bellamy and Smith. If you're talking about a culture of success I mean jeez, Smith would be successful wherever he goes. Pretty sure the Broncos have a culture of success. It'd be the same with him and Bennett at the helm; they'd be premiership contenders every year.
     

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