NRL match-fixing scandal is Todd Greenberg’s worst nightmare and the government needs to step up

LEAGUE insiders say the police are not equipped to handle the match-fixing crisis that engulfs it and premier Mike Baird needs to take control, writes Rebecca Wilson.

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THERE is, as Todd Greenberg so brutally understated this week, the sniff of impropriety around his sport.

What we are seeing unfolding is the NRL boss’s worst nightmare — allegations of match fixing that potentially blow the lid on the idea that the occasional lone wolf is a baddie but the rest are brimful of integrity.

From what we know from the allegations, there are a pack of wolves out there, on a leash held tightly by crime bosses, who are willing to do whatever it takes to win big and keep it all a secret from those of us who used to think they were all decent, straight blokes trying their guts out on a footy field.

The announcement by the Organised Crime Squad that they are looking at two matches from 2015 is not just a line in the sand from police. It is also a cry for help from an organisation that appears to be desperately under-resourced for what is shaping up to be a mammoth investigation that could change the face of rugby league in Australia.

As journalists from this newspaper have discovered in recent weeks, these allegations are so serious and run so deep that three or four senior police are going to be caught way out of their depth when the heat is applied.

The partnership between government, law enforcement and the sport has never been so important. Never in the history of rugby league has the sport confronted such a big beast that threatens its heart and soul. Government and law enforcement officers are vital to find a way through the serious and complicated quagmire in which the sport now finds itself.

League insiders claim the police are not equipped for what lies ahead of them. Checking a few betting sheets from domestic betting agencies on a sting that saw nearly $1 million churned through betting accounts and private bookies will not cut the mustard here.

Players were allegedly paid $50,000 each for their trouble in ensuring the result of the game was orchestrated. This is big time crime and so far consorting notices are the only material evidence we have that the police are ready for the fight.

Match report: Manly v South Sydney, round 16 2015

Match report: Manly v Parramatta, round 24 2015

The allegations.

This is in no way a criticism of NSW police. It is a wake up call for all Australians who love sport who had no idea of the extent of the damage that has been done to rugby league by the baddies.

They are sophisticated, they are clever and they outnumber police. This is a government issue at the highest level. Premier Mike Baird, himself a fan of the Manly Sea Eagles, must take match fixing allegations by the scruff of the neck and work a way through the milieu that today confronts every rugby league fan, administrator and player in Australia.

His first stop must be upping the ante for police. More numbers, more resources and whatever they need to find the culprits.

That’s where government steps in and introduces horse racing regulations to a sport whose random rules and regulations have been found wanting in recent years.

One undermanned integrity unit, backed by a smattering of police, will not address a scandal that threatens to place the sport in the hands of crime figures, gangs and wayward players addicted to punting.

Match-fixing is Todd Greenberg’s worst nightmare realised. Picture. Phil Hillyard

In the 48 hours since this story broke, the phone calls have come thick and fast on rugby league players who have been rampantly betting and committing offences as they front up each week to play football.

These men are in our trust. We believe they are going to play the game fair and square, that the result will be the right one, not one that they or their criminal mates have conspired to deliver.

The trail is not a defined one. Finding them, punishing them, is not as easy as it sounds. It may even come down to the media, heaven forbid, to mete out the culprits and deliver a result.

They may have delivered one of Australia’s most professional and lucrative sports a kick in the guts that makes doping look like kindergarten.

NRL fans are crushed over betting allegations around Manly

There is nothing that can make Greenberg feel better today except the knowledge that he is being helped by powers that realise a billion dollar sport is worth saving.

Broadcast deals, sponsorships and the game itself are all on the line. Nobody wants a situation like South America or Russia where sports cheats are as common as mud. Nobody wants a blind eye turned when players drop balls, miss field goals and avoid tackles all for the sake of their kick back from the boss at full time.

If you go to the footy with the kids on the weekend, take a deep breath. You want to be there but you aren’t a mug. You want fair play, a fair result because, by God, your kids deserve that when they get to take their kids to the footy in 20 years.