Eels deny salary cap rort claim

PARRAMATTA chairman Max Donnelly has hit out at fresh claims the club is again cheating the NRL salary cap by providing free or discounted rental properties to its players.

Two years after the Eels were stripped of 12 competition points and fined $1 million for rorting the salary cap, the club is again mired in allegations of financial misconduct.

NSW Gaming and Racing minister Paul Toole confirmed an investigation has begun after allegations made by a former Eels employee to the Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority (ILGA).

“The allegations are serious and will be comprehensively investigated, including liaison with relevant law enforcement and sports integrity bodies,” Toole said.

In a letter to Eels members yesterday, Donnelly said the club moved quickly to meet the NRL Integrity Unit and salary cap auditors to clear their name.

He categorically denied the allegations, saying the NRL, ILGA, Australian Tax Office and accounting firm Ernst and Young had ticked off on the club’s salary cap between 2017-18.

“The 2017 salary cap was audited by the NRL salary cap auditors and was proven to be compliant,” Donnelly wrote.

“And in 2018 Parramatta was subject to a recent midyear audit by the NRL salary cap auditors and was proven to be compliant.”

The media report claimed the whistleblower alleged there were cases where players were charged rent below market value, while electricity bills were also partly paid for by the Eels leagues club.