League: Fanning the Warriors flames

Ruben Wiki. Sandra Mu / Getty Images

Australian media tried to stoke the fires of the Warriors salary cap scandal yesterday with claims star signing Ruben Wiki had been lured illegally.

The Sun-Herald in Sydney said the Canberra Raiders believed the Warriors negotiated with Wiki before the allowable anti-tampering deadline of June 30, 2004, by sending him a videotape in which Stacey Jones and Monty Betham with Once Were Warriors star Temuera Morrison asked Wiki to return to Auckland.

Clubs were only able to negotiate with players for the 2005 season after that date. Wiki entered into a contract with the Warriors in July, 2004.

Raiders chief executive Simon Hawkins lodged a request with the NRL last week to look into that issue.

Asked by the Sun-Herald for his recollection of a videotape sent to Wiki by the Warriors, Hawkins said: "I remember hearing about that, yes, but I don't know any more."

But NRL rules do not preclude "advertising" so long as there are no specific offers.

The league was well aware of the Warriors' tendency to send tapes to player agents and players, one insider said.

"They used to float tapes all over the place. But so far there is nothing conclusive in terms of him [Wiki] getting offers before Canberra knew about it. In fact, we understand that at that stage he was gone to England."

When asked about the anti-tamper issue yesterday Wiki's manager Jim Banaghan said: "There is no problem with Ruben's deal."

The penalty for breach of the anti-tampering rules is very open-ended, from a fine ranging up to A$1 million to suspension from the competition and loss of franchise licence. If proved, legal opinion is that it would also be open to the affected club to take action against the player and/or his new club.

The Canberra club first raised the query of when the Warriors opened talks with Wiki 18 months ago, said Raiders chief executive Simon Hawkins. But the club did not make a formal complaint.

"They [the NRL] haven't advised me that they've found anything to date," Hawkins said yesterday.

NRL spokesman John Brady said that in the Wiki case "looking at the contracts would suggest that things are going to go the other way" [that is, no case to answer].

The NRL is keen to sign off on the whole saga before Thursday so Friday's newspapers are focused on what will happen on the field on opening weekend.

And the Warriors' openness has helped them corner some degree of sympathy in terms of penalty, with hardliners backing off on the penalty issue and a willingness now to end the drama.

"It's not like the Bulldogs," the insider said. "They were still running at 100 miles an hour and showing no signs of slowing up when they were caught. The Warriors problems are back, not forward."

One problem for the future is the player roster, someone having to go to bring the 2007 cap down to meet the reduction from A$3.36m by whatever amount is deferred from 2006.

Off-contract at the end of this season are Clinton Toopi, Brent Webb, Evarn Tuimavave, Epalahame Lauaki, Tony Martin, Simon Mannering and Richard Villasanti. The club has refused to speak about negotiations with the players since the cap saga was revealed but Villasanti's agent was quoted in weekend papers as saying that his client had been offered a release.

Villasanti's contract was upgraded after he had a good season in 2002, making the Kangaroos tour to England, but he has not played to that level since.

He has also been plagued by injuries and it's unlikely any NRL club would take him as the season opens, so his future is likely in England.

The club will be squeaky clean before the team takes the field for its first game against Melbourne next Sunday, chief executive Wayne Scurrah said yesterday.

He had not seen the tape or had any knowledge of when it was sent.

THE WEEK AHEAD

NRL looks likely to give Warriors good and bad news this week.

* The bad: There will be no relenting on the subtraction of four points for salary cap breaches.

* The good: The investigation into suggestions that the deal to bring Ruben Wiki to the club breached anti-tampering regulations will be dismissed.

* The club will be under the 2006 salary cap and able to kick off their season next Sunday.

* It is understood salary cap auditor Ian Schubert is now satisfied any illegal arrangements have all been exposed and sorted out.

* It remains for him to report to the NRL management and board and for his report to be signed off, which is expected mid-week.