Witch hunt not the answer to Eels cap drama

The salary cap issues at Parramatta have dominated the media of late, and dwarfed the resurgent Eels rise to the top of the NRL ladder after seasons of bottom end finishes. It is a sad reflection on modern media that there has scarcely been a story written about Parramatta that doesn't mention the salary cap or a looming loss of points. The facts that have been reported, however, don't necessarily support this media obsession.

The issue at this stage revolves around leaked minutes and an email chain that seem to suggest Parramatta directors were involved in organising of at least one third party agreement in 2014, a practice which would be in breach of salary cap laws and which should be punished, of that there is no question. Based on precedent, though, the level of punishment sought by certain personalities in the media is blatantly ludicrous. In 2002, the Bulldogs were stripped of all 37 competition points and relegated to the bottom of the ladder for salary cap breaches totalling around $1 million. Then in 2010, the famous Melbourne Storm salary cap drama saw the club stripped of premierships and forced to play out the season for zero points after systematic payments outside the salary cap amounting to almost $4 million over five years.

There are two key points in the severity of the punishments handed down to these two clubs that need to be addressed. Firstly, both these sides were found to have deliberately and systematically cheated the salary cap over several seasons, knowingly making payments outside the salary cap to keep players that would otherwise have been forced to take a lesser deal or move on. Secondly, both these clubs were fielding teams that breached the salary cap in the year they were stripped of points. These are key points in the Parramatta argument. There is absolutely no suggestion that the 2016 Parramatta Eels squad is not cap compliant, and there is absolutely no suggestion that deliberate cheating on a mass scale has taken place at the club. It's true that working outside the rules to secure a third party deal would be a deliberate action, but it's just as clear that any breach in this case is simply not even close to the scale of the Bulldogs or Storm breaches and the sections of the media suggesting the Eels should face the same punishment are being absolutely ridiculous.

A better comparison would be the NZ Warriors, who were stripped of four competition points prior to the 2006 season for breaches totalling around $1 million dollars over the previous two seasons. Like Parramatta in 2016, the Warriors 2006 squad was salary cap compliant. Yet the scale of the alleged breaches at Parramatta doesn't even come close to the amount admitted to by the Warriors in 2006. The reported amount of breaches in the top 25 salary cap comes out at around about $100,000, with another $400,000 in second tier and under 20s salary cap breaches over several seasons. Furthermore, the email chain leaked in the media has been addressed in a statement by the club, who say that the issue related to health problems in the family of star winger Semi Radradra and was worked out in concert with the NRL to achieve a legal, satisfactory outcome for all parties. Compared to what has gone before, the breaches quite simply pale in comparison. Yet sections of the media have embarked on what can only be described as a witch hunt, to the point where it seems as though some reporters are trying to influence the outcome of the NRL investigation and cause them to enforce a heavy penalty completely incongruous with the actual offences that have been confirmed thus far.

What is clear is that there is a concerted campaign of deliberate leaks aimed at destabilising the Eels board, and parts of the media have fallen for it hook, line and sinker. This is not to suggest that there is no wrongdoing on the Eels part by any means, but the NRL investigation is ongoing and the attempts to influence the outcome by some media outlets are quite frankly disgraceful, and play directly into the hands of the person or persons who wish to create instability at a club that is already fractious at the best of times. The best outcome for both the NRL and the Parramatta club would be an enforced overhaul of the clubs governance, with a view to finally eliminating the poisonous factions that have held the once powerhouse club back for over a decade. There is too much in-fighting behind the scenes at Parramatta, too many agendas. The NRL could do worse than stepping in on a temporary basis to oversee board elections and appoint independent directors. Rather than destroying a promising season with a legal side, as many media hounds seem to wish for, the NRL should look at this as an opportunity to finally restore the powerhouse of Sydney's west and fix the back room backstabbing that has characterised the running of the club for so long. Any breaches of the salary cap should be punished, and the suspended four point deduction hangs heavily over the club throughout the investigation, but realistically there is nothing to suggest that the Eels season deserves to be ended over this issue and nothing to suggest that it will.

The better outcome for all is to work on replicating the clubs turnaround on the field in the back office, and create a Parramatta club that can boast consistency and stability in all aspects, instead of being held back by in-fighting and fractious factionalism.