The NRL has shown the same disregard for process over and over again, as you say Ludwig. I am in favour of a good salary cap and I am in favour of a vigorous and rigorous defence of that cap, but the way the NRL does it smacks a great deal of self-aggrandisement for Gallop.

I suspect much of the problem is that Gallop has never actually played the game or even had much to do with it until he got his foot in the door as legal advisor to the Super League fiasco. He thinks like a lawyer, not like a sportsman. ditto for much of the rest of the board and the whole shebang is wrapped up in the commercial aspirations of News Ltd anyway.

If only Rugby could manage to work out a comprehensible and workable set of rules and stick with them for more than 12 months.

I cannot find a reason to completely give the storm back all it lost.
Remember in some ways[ never thought I Would say it] OUG is close to right.
ARL/NRL went into the bag with Super league, a rich man and his toys wanted to control a game ,for TV rights.
That once Australian, his choice not to be, owns the Storm.
True real doubt exists about other teams, mine included.
And about results based on dreadful, unbelievable refs /linesmen/video ref rulings.
My game, televised sport in general may one day suffer much scandal.
However IF all NRL fans took Part in a poll, even those one eyed one club fools who only think of the clubs good not the games.
I feel confident penalty's would stand,but not the taking away of this years points.
Give those Storm fans and those who did no wrong hope, restore points and put Gallop in the sin bin, forever.

I was interested in Gerry Harvey's response. According to the interview, he was with half a dozen (or ten) of his peers at the time, and he and his friends were "amused... well, not amused; but yes a little bit amused... by all the fuss, it's just another sport scandal... life will go on" (quote from memory).
Is this a typical example of business as usual, in sports as well as everywhere else?
No moral issue; it's only bad if you get caught.
I thought sports was supposed to encourage sportsmanship; honour, integrity... not who wins or loses, but how you play the game.
This simply isn't cricket.

The way i see it they have been treated very leniently. The storm cheated the same as an athlete who takes steroids. They gained an unfair advantage over the other teams and they should have been banned. Kicked out of at least this years competition completely.

Rugby league is my passion also but if you expect fairness in our present world view you are on the wrong planet.

Despite the understandable defensiveness of Rugby League fans, what we have here is a serious case of sustained conspiracy and fraud that's apparently been going on for years, involving millions of dollars and Australia's largest media organisation. More heads should roll, and criminal charges should be laid if any laws have been broken.

Rugby League doesn't need Melbourne and Melbourne doesn't need Rugby League - particularly if the only way they can sustain interest in the game is by engaging in dishonest and fraudulent activity.