Samantha in strife (and medical retirement rorts)

  • We had an issue with background services between march 10th and 15th or there about. This meant the payment services were not linking to automatic upgrades. If you paid for premium membership and are still seeing ads please let me know and the email you used against PayPal and I cam manually verify and upgrade your account.
Not Matalino, he doesn’t play for a favourite, West’s are ****ed!!

Sorry to be the bearer of bad , though not unexpected, news but Matulino has been 'medically retired'.

So the go now seems to be if you want a good player 30+ years of age then put them on a big contract. As soon as their form starts to drop just wait until the very next injury then claim a medical retirement.

Obviously these injuries will occur on a 30+ year old player. Father time dictates it to be so. Player still gets paid, club gets cap relief and the club has also received one or two years of decent service until the player's form starts to drop. Club also gets to screw over fans and the other club that the player was happy playing at.

Officials think we all have to accept doctors at their word because 'gee whiz, they are doctors so we should worship the ground they walk on' but it certainly appears easy as to get a doc to claim exactly what a club wants them too.
 
Also....

NRL CEO Todd Greenberg said salary cap auditor Richard Gardham will put the Broncos medical retirement application for Gillett through the same processes as the Burgess submission and the recently approved request for Wests Tigers prop Ben Matulino.

"I don’t foreshadow any issues but we will do the same thing, we’ll run through the same process and same rules and make the same determination according to the facts," Greenberg said.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I don't foreshadow any issues....hint hint hint threat to auditor Gardham.... make sure these players are medically retired.

There's one thing the nrl should thank us for bearing the brunt of Todd's hatred, once we get screwed over he goes out of his way to make things fairer for every other team.

As said before - Stewart bros, Matai and others....nope!

Any other player who catches a cold "Quick, medically retire these poor ornaments to the game."

The real test will be when we need to retire a player ourselves again.. Hopefully todd has been moved on well before that. What a tosser.
 
Also....

NRL CEO Todd Greenberg said salary cap auditor Richard Gardham will put the Broncos medical retirement application for Gillett through the same processes as the Burgess submission and the recently approved request for Wests Tigers prop Ben Matulino.

"I don’t foreshadow any issues but we will do the same thing, we’ll run through the same process and same rules and make the same determination according to the facts," Greenberg said.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I don't foreshadow any issues....hint hint hint threat to auditor Gardham.... make sure these players are medically retired.

There's one thing the nrl should thank us for bearing the brunt of Todd's hatred, once we get screwed over he goes out of his way to make things fairer for every other team.

As said before - Stewart bros, Matai and others....nope!

Any other player who catches a cold "Quick, medically retire these poor ornaments to the game."

The real test will be when we need to retire a player ourselves again.. Hopefully todd has been moved on well before that. What a tosser.
Despite the crap we've had to and we continue to face, Greenburg, Gallop (or anyone else) still haven't done the Club in.

"That which does not kill us, makes us stronger."

Todd Greenburg: CEO of the NRL < 4 years. Hopefully on his way out for nepotism, incompetence, favouritism and just being a d!ck.

Manly Warringah Sea Eagles - 8 Premierships, good looking supporters and still going strong since 1947.
 
Interestingly Cronk has been signed in a coaching role at Easts which I find quite suspicious ... , I'd think his "coaching" salary should be added to the salary cap.

Just like Inglis' bs "ambassadorial" position is a joke, he's already sold out of Coogee and has been virtually unsighted at the Bunnies.

Sam has 25% bone density in his shoulder and this has only just been discovered? Give me a break. Todd only has 25% bone density in his spine by the looks.

The NRL's treatment of my hero Matai, along with club legends Snake and Watmough were despicable.

Anyone remember how they allowed Fa'oso play on with a broken neck? What??? Talk to me about their care of player welfare ...

The salary cap is a joke and needs to be cleaned up. V'landys over to you?
 
For what its worth, with regards to Burgess.....one thing I am hearing is that the Vermin knew of his upcoming father-in-law legal troubles and that medically retiring him was a way to avoid having to have him and his contract on the books if the NRL stood him down like they did with Dylan Walker and his DV issue. Its part of why some are thinking he'll just take a year off after the NRL allow him to be medically retired, then he'll re-appear (with the appropriate medical clearance of course) most likely in the Super League to finish off his career.
 
So, let me get things clear.
A professional footballer can 'medically' retire and still get paid for the remainder of his contract? In Burgess' case this amounts to a reported $2.6-M, for doing nothing?
What about a person in a physically taxing job, such as a labourer, builder, mechanic - even a nurse. If they suffer an injury that curtails their career do they get a massive payout?
I'd suggest they'd get a few weeks severance pay and a suggestion to find a new form of employment.
 
So, let me get things clear.
A professional footballer can 'medically' retire and still get paid for the remainder of his contract? In Burgess' case this amounts to a reported $2.6-M, for doing nothing?
What about a person in a physically taxing job, such as a labourer, builder, mechanic - even a nurse. If they suffer an injury that curtails their career do they get a massive payout?
I'd suggest they'd get a few weeks severance pay and a suggestion to find a new form of employment.

workers comp?
 
Brisbane is arguing that Gillett suffered a career-ending shoulder injury in round 22.
Yet he played out the remaining three rounds, and admits that he had already had two previous operations on the shoulder.
Case close.
Next.
Now, Mr Burgess . . .

That’s NOT how it works, it’s “ hey Toddy Paul White here , Gillett is ****ed and we need him off our cap to stop those pricks from down south trying to steal Fifita” , “ yeah Pauley I heard that , nudge nudge, wink wink , she’ll be right buddy, by the way did you like all those Friday nights you got ,15, I tried for 23 but I thought people would notice with that many” “ thanks Toddy, good work mate , now just make sure you can find a way to screw those bloody Sea Eagles I don’t like how they seem to be getting much better lately “.
 
For Pete's sake, before he signed with Wests everyone knew Matulino was on dodgy legs. Had been a good player in the past, but even me, as a Manly fan who only casually follows other clubs, knew the signing was a gamble, not because the bloke had no heart, which he clearly does, but for chronic injury.

Meanwhile we've seen millions wiped off Parra's cap for Watmough and then off Souths cap for Inglis (the story around this will come out one day, but not soon) and now it is just an absolute free-for-all rort which pisses off Manly fans because of how Snake and Matai were dealt with.

And also pisses off Manly fans because of the NRL's shocking hypocrisy about level playing fields, this was the CEO when we were found guilty of salary cap indiscretions:


NRL chief executive officer Todd Greenberg said the penalties were a warning to all clubs.

"The investigation found a number of cases where players were offered undisclosed benefits outside the salary cap to attract them to the club," Greenberg said...

"....In other words, Manly had a financial advantage in securing the services of players who may otherwise have gone to other clubs."

The breaches involve 15 players over five years, totalling $1.5 million.


That amount is about a year and a bit of Sam's deal.
V'Landys has his work cut out trying to restore fans' faith in the game, I wish him well (and early indications are definitely solid)
 
Last edited:
Also....

NRL CEO Todd Greenberg said salary cap auditor Richard Gardham will put the Broncos medical retirement application for Gillett through the same processes as the Burgess submission and the recently approved request for Wests Tigers prop Ben Matulino.

"I don’t foreshadow any issues but we will do the same thing, we’ll run through the same process and same rules and make the same determination according to the facts," Greenberg said.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I don't foreshadow any issues....hint hint hint threat to auditor Gardham.... make sure these players are medically retired.

There's one thing the nrl should thank us for bearing the brunt of Todd's hatred, once we get screwed over he goes out of his way to make things fairer for every other team.

As said before - Stewart bros, Matai and others....nope!

Any other player who catches a cold "Quick, medically retire these poor ornaments to the game."

The real test will be when we need to retire a player ourselves again.. Hopefully todd has been moved on well before that. What a tosser.
My question is what is the process, rules, and the determination according to the facts?
Wheres the transparency? Where are these things written? And again I ask who are these doctors affiliated with? NRL, Club, or independent?
 
For Pete's sake, before he signed with Wests everyone knew Matulino was on dodgy legs. Had been a good player in the past, but even me, as a Manly fan who only casually follows other clubs, knew the signing was a gamble, not because the bloke had no heart, which he clearly does, but for chronic injury.

Meanwhile we've seen millions wiped off Parra's cap for Watmough and then off Souths cap for Inglis (the story around this will come out one day, but not soon) and now it is just an absolute free-for-all rort which pisses off Manly fans because of how Snake and Matai were dealt with.

And also pisses off Manly fans because of the NRL's shocking hypocrisy about level playing fields, this was the CEO when we were found guilty of salary cap indiscretions:


NRL chief executive officer Todd Greenberg said the penalties were a warning to all clubs.

"The investigation found a number of cases where players were offered undisclosed benefits outside the salary cap to attract them to the club," Greenberg said...

"....In other words, Manly had a financial advantage in securing the services of players who may otherwise have gone to other clubs."

The breaches involve 15 players over five years, totalling $1.5 million.


That amount is about a year and a bit of Sam's deal.
V'Landys has his work cut out trying to restore fans' faith in the game, I wish him well (and early indications are definitely solid)
If my maths is correct that’s 20k a player each year
Gee if uncle Nick saw 20k in the gutter he wouldn’t bend down to pick it up
It’s a rounding error on thier TPAs , what a disgrace we were put thru all that for such a piddling amount
 
It's obvious to everybody now, even Buzz.


Monday Buzz: NRL’s richest clubs are exploiting medical retirements
Phil Rothfield, The Daily Telegraph
November 3, 2019 9:00pm


The NRL’s medical retirement rules have become a sham and nothing but a salary cap loophole for the wealthier clubs.
This was always going to be a problem once the NRL allowed Greg Inglis to retire last year and be taken out of the salary cap.
The Rabbitohs had signed Inglis on a long-term contract to keep him out of reach of rival clubs. They knew he was getting to an age where it was a risk but they still chose to take him off the market.

Last week we had three more cases – Sam Burgess at Souths, Ben Matulino at the Wests Tigers and Matt Gillett at the Brisbane Broncos.


We are not saying these are not genuine cases. That’s for the NRL to work out.
But let’s use a player like Kiwi Test front-rower Jared Waerea-Hargreaves as an example to show how easy it could be to rort the system.
He is 30 years of age and off contract at the end of next year. A number of clubs would love to sign the enforcer from the side that has won back-to-back premierships.
But like Inglis, Burgess and other older players, there are risks.
Sam Burgess, Matt Gillett and Ben Matulino have all retired in the past week.
Obviously it’s in Trent Robinson’s and Nick Politis’s best interests to take him off the market.
So they sign him for five years, knowing at most he’ll play another three. Like Inglis, he’ll have a busted body and will be medically retired.
The problem we have is that not all clubs can afford to do what the Roosters can and pay him out a couple of million. It’s a round of drinks for them.
The Rabbitohs are privately owned by Russell Crowe and James Packer and can afford it too. Same with the Broncos, the wealthiest club in the game.
The NRL knows this is potentially a major problem.
It’s why they are saying an investigation into the Burgess case will not be completed until next month. They want to study all the surgery and physio records.
They want to interview medical experts to determine if there were other options that could have allowed him toIt is in the best interests of the Roosters to take Jared Waerea-Hargreaves off the market.
It took five weeks for the Broncos to get approval from the NRL for Gillett’s retirement and release from the salary cap.
The NRL have rejected claims before. In 2017 Manly had to keep Brett Stewart in the salary cap despite a career ending knee injury. The same with Anthony Watmough at Parramatta.
Yet now the floodgates have opened and it is a problem for the game that is not going away.
Your columnist was laughed at and labelled soft for posing the question earlier this year: “Is rugby league getting too tough?”
Bigger, stronger, faster more powerful athletes are clashing and colliding with the most brutal force.
In most positions players are 25 kilos heavier than 30 years ago.
Even old super coach Wayne Bennett now recognises the problems with the increasing number of shoulder injuries.
“A lot of players are having multiple operations on their shoulder,” Bennett said.
“It’s something we need to look at and why this type of injury is happening and finishing guys’ c
Poor Kieran Foran did his shoulder again on the weekend. Will the Bulldogs try to medically retire him? Give him a job after footy. This would free up $1 million to get Latrell Mitchell straight away.
So the ball is now in the NRL’s court. There is a perception in the game that Todd Greenberg has a soft spot for the Rabbitohs.
The Greg Inglis reference in court for drink driving a speeding. Sam Burgess escaping punishment despite slamming the judiciary etc, etc.
All the fans want is consistency. Every club and every player to be treated the same, which hasn’t been the case in the past.
 

Latest posts

Team P W L PD Pts
3 3 0 48 6
3 2 1 45 4
3 2 1 28 4
3 2 1 22 4
3 2 1 15 4
3 2 1 14 4
2 1 1 13 4
3 2 1 10 4
2 1 1 6 4
3 2 1 -3 4
3 1 2 0 2
3 1 2 -5 2
3 1 2 -15 2
3 1 2 -22 2
3 1 2 -36 2
2 0 2 -56 2
3 0 3 -64 0
Back
Top Bottom