Wests Tigers have contacted the NRL seeking clarification on Melbourne’s agreement to sign their emerging front-row star, Stefano Utoikamanu.
The Tigers have revealed their offer to the NRL, which included a five-year contract valued at $4 million, plus a vehicle, totaling approximately $825,000 per year. Despite this substantial offer, it was insufficient to retain Utoikamanu.
The Tigers have contacted the NRL to gain clarity on the Storm’s deal, ensuring it complies with salary cap regulations.
Having made the highest offer among the three teams vying for Utoikamanu, the Tigers understandably seek an explanation for why they lost him to the Storm.
While there is no indication that the Storm have acted improperly, the Tigers are seeking transparency. Meanwhile, rival clubs are growing increasingly frustrated and suspicious over the NRL’s approval of Storm players investing in a company partly owned by Storm chairman Matt Tripp. These clubs believe that this situation may have played a role in the Storm’s acquisition of Utoikamanu.
In 2022, NRL salary cap auditors sanctioned a controversial arrangement allowing several Melbourne players to invest in the start-up betting company BetR, which was partly owned by Storm chairman Matt Tripp. Among these players were superstar trio Harry Grant, Ryan Papenhuyzen, and Jahrome Hughes.
Sources with knowledge of the situation, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue, indicated that some players invested six-figure amounts in BetR, which at the time was also part-owned by News Corp.
BetR struggled to make an impact in a competitive market and has since merged with BlueBet. Tripp declined to comment when approached.
Rival clubs are now questioning the financial arrangements. While there is no suggestion that the players were promised any specific returns or that the Storm acted improperly, rival clubs are outraged. They believe that the NRL’s approval of this arrangement helped the Storm keep their players at below-market value by offering them potential returns from their investments. This, in turn, is thought to have given the Storm additional salary cap space to secure players like Utoikamanu.
Several NRL club officials had raised concerns about the investment arrangement when it was first announced, noting that allowing players to invest in a business partly owned by a club chairman could lead to complications.
Leave a Reply