Melbourne Storm deny they’ll be forced to forfeit their season opener

Melbourne Storm have scoffed at claims they will be forced to forfeit their Round 1 clash with Brisbane due to salary cap issues.

Sam Kasiano of the Storm is tackled during the Round 4 NRL match between the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks and the Melbourne Storm at Southern Cross Group Stadium in Sydney, Friday, March 30, 2018. (AAP Image/Craig Golding) NO ARCHIVING, EDITORIAL USE ONLY

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MELBOURNE Storm has scoffed at a claim the club will be forced to potentially forfeit Round 1 due to a potential salary cap breach.

Talk of the club being “at least $600,000 over” the cap is not true, per a source.

The NRL is also unaware of any investigation into Melbourne’s salary cap situation.

“The Storm are currently working to ensure they are salary cap compliant by the start of the season,” a spokesman said.

The club is trying to offload Sam Kasiano. AAP Image/Craig Golding.

Since the 2010 cap fallout Melbourne officials have mandated a strict buffer - believed to be about $100,000 - across all player payments to avoid a repeat of the salary scandal.

Melbourne is, however, in a list management jam trying to free up money for required off-contract young guns Christian Welch and Joe Stimson.

The Daily Telegraph revealed recently the Storm had been shopping around prop Sam Kasiano around to rival clubs in a bid to ease the 2019 cap burden.

Ex-Canterbury Bulldogs bopper Kasiano joined the Storm last season on a lucrative three-year deal but the prop struggled to cement a spot in Craig Bellamy’s run-on squad, through injury and suspensions for clumsy late hits.

Melbourne want to upgrade Joe Stimson. Photo by Kelly Defina/Getty Images.

If the Storm is able to offload 153-game veteran Kasiano, who has not been named for Saturday night’s trial in Mackay, the club must upgrade a development listed player to the top-30 squad.

Every club must have 29 registered players by March 1.

The Storm, on track for 30,000 members this year after surging past 20,000 this week, will kick off the NRL season at AAMI Park on March 14 against fierce rivals Brisbane Broncos.

Originally published as Melbourne Storm deny they’ll be forced to forfeit their season opener