Parramatta Eels salary cap: The senior officials in denial over club crisis

THEY are the “Gang of Five” - the senior Parramatta officials who have been in denial despite overwhelming evidence the Eels have been cheating the cap.

Parramatta Eels chairman Steve Sharp.

THEY are the “Gang of Five” _ the senior Parramatta officials who have been in a constant state of denial despite being presented with an overwhelming pool of evidence that the club has cheated the NRL salary cap under their watch.

Their merry leader is Steve Sharp, chairman of the Eels since May 2013, with his loyal support crew of CEO John Boulous, deputy chairman Tom Issa, head of football Daniel Anderson and director Peter Serrao.

All were present for the now notorious board meetings in January and March 2014, where senior officials at the club openly discussed strategies for getting around the NRL’s salary cap.

Parramatta Eels CEO John Boulous.

Remarkably, the fact that the club rorted the cap was included in its own board minutes: raising questions about whether the Gang of Five was simply naïve, stupid or arrogant.

NRL boss Todd Greenberg and Integrity Unit head Nick Weeks appeared to indicate the club’s response to its investigation was a combination of all three, in handing down their sanctions on the club on Tuesday.

Weeks described the level of the club’s response to the NRL’s investigation as “disappointing”.

“We have been asking them questions where we have learnt of information, and they haven’t been forthcoming,” he said. “What we have had to do, is go and do our own work.”

Sharp’s own response when first confronted by the Telegraph on March 8 with the board minutes in question _ which triggered the NRL investigation _ was equally puzzling.

He first claimed the minutes had been “doctored”. But then he backtracked when asked whether his signature had been forged, saying: “I wouldn’t suggest someone has forged my signature at all.”

Such bizarre responses have become commonplace over the last two months, and progressively infuriated the NRL.

Virtually every time the Telegraph published a new revelation about salary cap rorting at the club, either Sharp or Boulous would put out their latest press release. The statements had common themes: that the Telegraph articles were part of a “smear campaign” against the Eels; and that any problems identified were the responsibility of previous regimes, or anyone other than themselves.

Parramatta Eels director Peter Serrao.

The press releases also claimed that the club was working in an “open and transparent” manner with the NRL. Weeks was quick to dismiss this claim yesterday. “We rely on clubs to provide us with information that is accurate,” he said. “It has been difficult to get that out of Parramatta.”

On Sunday night, Sharp put out a statement on behalf of the club’s senior officials, where the NRL was threatened with legal action if they were denied natural justice.

Greenberg’s reply was stinging: “I think the Eels over the last couple of months have continued to do what they have done _ which is deny there are issues inside their club.”

For Greenberg, the embarrassment caused to the NRL by the Gang of Five and their rorting of the salary cap needed to end. “This has to stop,” he said. “It stops today.”