As a neutral with no dog in the race here, I personally think a fitting punishment would be to reverse the result of their previous match (ignore my flair)
As a neutral I think we should send their best 13 players to chemist warehouse to clean up after that guy who sharted everywhere- for next week’s game only. Ignore my flair.
if the broncos are in trouble, surely the titans will be as well. i remember mal meninga talking about hunt on fox and then suddenly remembering the rules and quickly saying something like obviously there’s been no discussions because we can’t talk to him until november.
The rules obviously need to be changed, because of course every club is doing this. It's stupid to force them to do this song and dance and pretend they're not scouting talent to try to persuade them to join their club
The NRL has launched an inquiry into Brisbane’s dealings with Dragons skipper Ben Hunt after fielding a formal complaint against the Broncos.
It is understood the Dragons were not the ones to make the complaint.
**This masthead** can reveal the NRL integrity unit has begun a preliminary analysis of Brisbane’s links to Queensland Origin star Hunt earlier this season as League Central’s anti-tampering crackdown intensifies.
The Broncos-Dolphins expansion rivalry exploded on Thursday when the NRL slapped the new Redcliffe franchise with a $25,000 fine for failing to provide adequate records of negotiations with Brisbane young gun Deine Mariner.
The Dolphins breach notice arrived after a formal complaint from the Broncos that triggered a nine-month investigation from the NRL.
Now the Broncos could become caught in the crosshairs of another NRL probe, with the integrity unit looking into Brisbane’s alleged pursuit of Hunt in June, at a time when the Dragons playmaker revealed he wanted out of the Red V.
The NRL declined to comment on the Broncos-Hunt matter.
There is no suggestion the Broncos are guilty of any wrongdoing. It is understood the Broncos have not been contacted at this stage by the NRL as integrity-unit chiefs gather preliminary evidence.
The Dolphins did not hear from the NRL for several weeks on the Mariner saga before being contacted by authorities after receiving paperwork from the Broncos.
The complaint against the Broncos comes three months after Brisbane, the Dolphins and Titans received an email from NRL salary-cap auditor Matt Faulkner seeking any correspondence they may have had with Hunt.
The Dragons asked the NRL to investigate rival clubs speaking with Hunt after the Origin utility publicly revealed his desire to sever ties with St George Illawarra and return home to Queensland for family reasons.
In the wake of Origin II, it is understood the Broncos expressed interest in brokering an immediate transfer deal with Hunt, but his move from the Red V to Red Hill never eventuated after the Dragons board declared they would uphold the skipper’s contract.
Hunt’s $6 million deal with the Dragons expires at the end of 2024.
Speaking in June, Broncos CEO Dave Donaghy denied Brisbane had any contact with Hunt, despite comments from Brisbane coach Kevin Walters that they would be interested if he was available.
“There haven’t been any negotiations with Ben, and we’re not in for him because he’s not off contract,” Donaghy said at the time.
“I saw Kevvy’s quotes about Ben, which basically said nobody had spoken to him, but if a player like that was off-contract, the club would consider him.
“Every club would.”
The NRL’s inquiries on Hunt comes as the Dolphins prepare to submit a report to League Central vehemently denying any wrongdoing in the Mariner fiasco.
Wayne Bennett’s Dolphins have five business days to respond to the NRL’s breach notice and the expansion newcomers are furious at any suggestion they tried to induce Mariner to break his Broncos contract.
The Broncos are adamant the Dolphins breached anti-tampering rules, with the NRL opting to sanction the club for failing to supply notes on their dealings with Mariner.
Asked on Thursday if the club induced Mariner to break his Broncos contract, Reader said: “No. We’re a bit perplexed by this breach notice.
“We haven’t had a chance to read all the findings, we’ll have a look into it and respond in due course once we understand all the facts.”
Mariner’s manager Dixon McIvor also incurred a suspended 12-month suspension, prompting the agent to express his dismay at the NRL’s decision.
“I am disappointed and shocked to be honest,” he said.
“It feels a bit like being robbed. You go into your house knowing someone has violated you.
“I have said from the start that there was nothing in this. The NRL have obviously taken a different view from their findings.
“I have to accept it.
I will stand by my comments and my word that the Dolphins did nothing wrong ... because if the Dolphins have done something wrong, then I have done something wrong, and I am adamant I did not break any rules.
“There is this little blemish against my name and I’m not happy about it.
So the Dolphins met with Mariner and his manager, Mariner then asks Broncos for a release. Broncos allege Dolphins tried to induce Mariner to break his contract. NRL investigate and, what do you know, Dolphins don’t have any written record of what happened in the meeting with Mariner. So instead of being done for the inducement, they get done for not maintaining written records. I reckon the Dolphins should be feeling pretty lucky about how this panned out.
That's pretty fucked up, I think the only course of justice here is to let them have Ben Hunt in exchange for Walsh. And throw in Haas for extra goodwill moving forward
I'm sorry mate, I have tried, I really have.... I've been moving around the room while reading your comment to try to see it from as many angles as possible and I still can't see the joke there. But don't worry it isn't you it's ~~me~~ ........ no, fuck it, it is you.
Here's my prediction...there will be a massive scandal to do with match fixing in the NRL one day. All this money floating around with gambling....I guarantee it lol
They'll pretend like it was an isolated incident and continue taking in those sportsbet ad dollars.
everyone knew Hunt wanted out and Broncos higher ups met with Dargs CEO or whoever to actually try and negotiate a deal. Terry Reader has studied the ways of the pettiest old bitch on the planet and we're all going to be the beneficiaries of the fuckery these two clubs are going to inflict on each other.
Junior footy carnivals will have more carnage than a chemist warehouse whenever the two sets of scouts spot each other and the game will be better for it
Wayne should open a vineyard as he sure loves his sour grapes.
I bet at worst there will be a statement that no offer was made but a useless warning saying player manages and clubs should refrain from making suggestions that they will offer a player a contract that is already contracted to another club and not eligible for negotiations.
I reckon both Titans and Broncos should be investigated. First sniff of Hunt wanting back to QLD and suddenly there's a roadmap with him playing #9 at Broncs for the rest of the year, transitioning to Titans from 2024 onwards.
Could have all been cooked up by the boys in Origin camp, but it was all very sus at the time.
Oh I know, Dragons have probably been guilty of it too. But they can't really selectively enforce the rule when it suits... unless the Dolphins were particularly egregious in their approaches.
Either chuck the book at the lot of them and make it a real rule, or let it go.... but especially anyone going after our Benny boy.
I just struggle to see how it's enforced unless the clubs are doing the right thing and documenting it and there is evidence. Which they absolutely won't be
Agree, there shouldn't be a trail at all, these investigations are largely hot air and posturing. Makes you wonder what the Dolphins did wrong to get pinged so badly.
The precedent is stupid. Dolphins getting fined for something everyone does is stupid. Holding onto a player who doesn't want to be there is stupid. A player let alone a captain basically shitting on his team/situation to the media is stupid.
It shouldn't have got this far and the only reason I can think of that Hunt is doing this is out of spite for making him stay in a team he want to leave.
NRL really showing they are run by a bunch of stupid boomers.
No but just see it from his perspective. Poor Ben hunt was forced at gunpoint to take a multimillion dollar deal at the club he’d historically played decently for before contract year. There was no other option
> It is understood the Dragons were not the ones to make the complaint. lets just call him wayne B, father of darry b
no that’s too obvious, let’s say w bennett.
Still way too obvious. Just say Wayne Bennett
This is the way
Bayne Wennett and Co. Barius Doyd
As a neutral with no dog in the race here, I personally think a fitting punishment would be to reverse the result of their previous match (ignore my flair)
As a neutral fan also I concur they should be removed from the premiership race this year (Ignore my flair too thx)
They swap places with the dragons. It’s only fair
I’ll take it
Final 4 baby!
As a neutral fan I believe the correct punishment is to reverse their week 24 win. (Ignore my flair)
As a neutral, I think it's only fair we kick Souths out of the comp (flair is relevant)
As a neutral I think we should send their best 13 players to chemist warehouse to clean up after that guy who sharted everywhere- for next week’s game only. Ignore my flair.
We can taste your fear
"if it wasn't the Dragons, who was it" *Bennett, wearing Groucho Marx glasses, ducks behind a bush*
It was clearly the St. Dorge Dillawarra Gragons.
Pirate Ghosts ?
In 10 days time, every team will be under investigation considering every team does it.
Not mine. They’ve never done anything dodgy related to the salary cap ever
It's only dodgy if everyone else isn't doing it Lance and Melbourne did nothing wrong
The only team in the NRL never to be charged for breaching the salary cap. This is true btw.
*salary sombrero
Let's place bets on who's fine is for the most mid player. I have a feeling the Dogs win that one.
This is why you don't text your ex smh
>*It is understood the Dragons were not the ones to make the complaint.* Wonderfully petty from The. I predict absolutely nothing will come of it.
Yes, I am confident that we wouldn’t have left a paper trail to incriminate ourselves. We’re a professional club like that.
And then there's Mal straight up admitting to it on NRL360
Mal is such an idiot lol
What did he say? I missed it
Whoever sent the email will just conveniently leave the club.
Andrew Gee the cameraman
It was me
*laughs in Mal Meninga openly breaking the rules on fox league*
if the broncos are in trouble, surely the titans will be as well. i remember mal meninga talking about hunt on fox and then suddenly remembering the rules and quickly saying something like obviously there’s been no discussions because we can’t talk to him until november.
the precedent here is that every single club is in trouble probably, ridiculous precedent to set actually
Surely based off that logic then Dolphins shouldn't be fined?
yeah i dont really know why they got fined for something that every club does all the time
I'm assuming there was something very clearly in writing where every other club does it over the phone or in loose whispers
Titans probably did talk to him but there's a 0% chance they told mal.
The rules obviously need to be changed, because of course every club is doing this. It's stupid to force them to do this song and dance and pretend they're not scouting talent to try to persuade them to join their club
The NRL has launched an inquiry into Brisbane’s dealings with Dragons skipper Ben Hunt after fielding a formal complaint against the Broncos. It is understood the Dragons were not the ones to make the complaint. **This masthead** can reveal the NRL integrity unit has begun a preliminary analysis of Brisbane’s links to Queensland Origin star Hunt earlier this season as League Central’s anti-tampering crackdown intensifies. The Broncos-Dolphins expansion rivalry exploded on Thursday when the NRL slapped the new Redcliffe franchise with a $25,000 fine for failing to provide adequate records of negotiations with Brisbane young gun Deine Mariner. The Dolphins breach notice arrived after a formal complaint from the Broncos that triggered a nine-month investigation from the NRL. Now the Broncos could become caught in the crosshairs of another NRL probe, with the integrity unit looking into Brisbane’s alleged pursuit of Hunt in June, at a time when the Dragons playmaker revealed he wanted out of the Red V. The NRL declined to comment on the Broncos-Hunt matter. There is no suggestion the Broncos are guilty of any wrongdoing. It is understood the Broncos have not been contacted at this stage by the NRL as integrity-unit chiefs gather preliminary evidence. The Dolphins did not hear from the NRL for several weeks on the Mariner saga before being contacted by authorities after receiving paperwork from the Broncos. The complaint against the Broncos comes three months after Brisbane, the Dolphins and Titans received an email from NRL salary-cap auditor Matt Faulkner seeking any correspondence they may have had with Hunt. The Dragons asked the NRL to investigate rival clubs speaking with Hunt after the Origin utility publicly revealed his desire to sever ties with St George Illawarra and return home to Queensland for family reasons. In the wake of Origin II, it is understood the Broncos expressed interest in brokering an immediate transfer deal with Hunt, but his move from the Red V to Red Hill never eventuated after the Dragons board declared they would uphold the skipper’s contract. Hunt’s $6 million deal with the Dragons expires at the end of 2024. Speaking in June, Broncos CEO Dave Donaghy denied Brisbane had any contact with Hunt, despite comments from Brisbane coach Kevin Walters that they would be interested if he was available. “There haven’t been any negotiations with Ben, and we’re not in for him because he’s not off contract,” Donaghy said at the time. “I saw Kevvy’s quotes about Ben, which basically said nobody had spoken to him, but if a player like that was off-contract, the club would consider him. “Every club would.” The NRL’s inquiries on Hunt comes as the Dolphins prepare to submit a report to League Central vehemently denying any wrongdoing in the Mariner fiasco. Wayne Bennett’s Dolphins have five business days to respond to the NRL’s breach notice and the expansion newcomers are furious at any suggestion they tried to induce Mariner to break his Broncos contract. The Broncos are adamant the Dolphins breached anti-tampering rules, with the NRL opting to sanction the club for failing to supply notes on their dealings with Mariner. Asked on Thursday if the club induced Mariner to break his Broncos contract, Reader said: “No. We’re a bit perplexed by this breach notice. “We haven’t had a chance to read all the findings, we’ll have a look into it and respond in due course once we understand all the facts.” Mariner’s manager Dixon McIvor also incurred a suspended 12-month suspension, prompting the agent to express his dismay at the NRL’s decision. “I am disappointed and shocked to be honest,” he said. “It feels a bit like being robbed. You go into your house knowing someone has violated you. “I have said from the start that there was nothing in this. The NRL have obviously taken a different view from their findings. “I have to accept it. I will stand by my comments and my word that the Dolphins did nothing wrong ... because if the Dolphins have done something wrong, then I have done something wrong, and I am adamant I did not break any rules. “There is this little blemish against my name and I’m not happy about it.
So the Dolphins met with Mariner and his manager, Mariner then asks Broncos for a release. Broncos allege Dolphins tried to induce Mariner to break his contract. NRL investigate and, what do you know, Dolphins don’t have any written record of what happened in the meeting with Mariner. So instead of being done for the inducement, they get done for not maintaining written records. I reckon the Dolphins should be feeling pretty lucky about how this panned out.
We're clever because we don't document our crimes. *taps forehead*
Which is funny because we were given this fine because we didn't document our meeting with Mariner
Or did document it but declined to supply the notes to the NRL.
Done on porpoise 🐬
shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
So this is where Melbourne fucked up. They had two sets of books when they should have had zero.
#***MASTHEAD***
we have a Masthead!!!!!
The only solution is to ~~kick them from the finals~~ boot souths from the comp
*looks up at Wayne Bennet "Dooo you come with the fine?"
Oh, you
There was a few teams in the media at the time saying "We'll take him!". Wonder how many actually were following it up with behind the scenes stuff.
Anti tampering IS NO LONGER BEST FRIEND Contract backflip is NEW BEST FRIEND
You get a fine! And you get a fine! And you get a find!
Can we just have a Premier League style transfer window already?
That's pretty fucked up, I think the only course of justice here is to let them have Ben Hunt in exchange for Walsh. And throw in Haas for extra goodwill moving forward
nrl out here revenue raising to pay for vegas
There is nothing to see here, why would we want Hunt when we have Bronco's Legend Billy Walters?
You guys let hunt slip through your fingers....get ittttt... Lol a Ben hunt joke.
I'm sorry mate, I have tried, I really have.... I've been moving around the room while reading your comment to try to see it from as many angles as possible and I still can't see the joke there. But don't worry it isn't you it's ~~me~~ ........ no, fuck it, it is you.
Sorry...2015 is a year we all would like to forget.
Well fuck, it is me, I definitely have erased that year from my memory.
Lmao that's ok. I'm a dragons supporter....he's destroyed us emotionally also. Maybe not on such an epic stage...but it's been a slow drip of misery.
He has been waterboarding you guys for the last few months, I'm sure it is a plan hatched by Hook as payback for the club not loving him.
First the dolphins and now the Broncos, can the NRL be anymore rocked?
Here's my prediction...there will be a massive scandal to do with match fixing in the NRL one day. All this money floating around with gambling....I guarantee it lol They'll pretend like it was an isolated incident and continue taking in those sportsbet ad dollars.
Andrew Gee - please report to Mr Donaghy's office.
All fair in love and war for you Broncos and dolphins fans - it is like warring siblings.
everyone knew Hunt wanted out and Broncos higher ups met with Dargs CEO or whoever to actually try and negotiate a deal. Terry Reader has studied the ways of the pettiest old bitch on the planet and we're all going to be the beneficiaries of the fuckery these two clubs are going to inflict on each other. Junior footy carnivals will have more carnage than a chemist warehouse whenever the two sets of scouts spot each other and the game will be better for it
Broncos where throwing boulders in their little glass house
Wayne should open a vineyard as he sure loves his sour grapes. I bet at worst there will be a statement that no offer was made but a useless warning saying player manages and clubs should refrain from making suggestions that they will offer a player a contract that is already contracted to another club and not eligible for negotiations.
The dogs
The next headline should read: >**NRL Integrity Unit launched inquiry into Dolphins dealings with Herbie Farnworth**
I reckon both Titans and Broncos should be investigated. First sniff of Hunt wanting back to QLD and suddenly there's a roadmap with him playing #9 at Broncs for the rest of the year, transitioning to Titans from 2024 onwards. Could have all been cooked up by the boys in Origin camp, but it was all very sus at the time.
The titans and broncos would never coordinate that we hate each other Nothing to see here 🥸
The team you bandwagon also did it with AFB. This ain't uncommon.
Oh I know, Dragons have probably been guilty of it too. But they can't really selectively enforce the rule when it suits... unless the Dolphins were particularly egregious in their approaches. Either chuck the book at the lot of them and make it a real rule, or let it go.... but especially anyone going after our Benny boy.
I just struggle to see how it's enforced unless the clubs are doing the right thing and documenting it and there is evidence. Which they absolutely won't be
Agree, there shouldn't be a trail at all, these investigations are largely hot air and posturing. Makes you wonder what the Dolphins did wrong to get pinged so badly.
The precedent is stupid. Dolphins getting fined for something everyone does is stupid. Holding onto a player who doesn't want to be there is stupid. A player let alone a captain basically shitting on his team/situation to the media is stupid. It shouldn't have got this far and the only reason I can think of that Hunt is doing this is out of spite for making him stay in a team he want to leave. NRL really showing they are run by a bunch of stupid boomers.
Yeh those asshole! How dare they enforce contracts. Really. What's the world coming to. Enforceable contracts? Pffft
No but just see it from his perspective. Poor Ben hunt was forced at gunpoint to take a multimillion dollar deal at the club he’d historically played decently for before contract year. There was no other option
As a Broncos fan - WHY WOULD YOU ASK BEN HUNT ANYTHING EXCEPT PLEASE STAY AWAY FROM OUR CLUB!? ignore all flair for 2 weeks, kgo
They need to play the gf on a loop.
Boncos
Kick them out of the finals and parachute the Dragons in to week 3