Good old Braddles and SOS!
Seems like 2 other club may be in trouble too!
Silvagni, Bradley admit rort
By Caroline Wilson
November 15 2002
The Carlton crisis deepened yesterday when two of the club's legends - Stephen Silvagni and Craig Bradley - confessed to the AFL that they had been involved in systematic salary cap cheating.
The move by Silvagni, who was voted on to the Carlton board on Tuesday night, and former skipper Bradley is believed to have come at the instigation of the club's new president Ian Collins.
Collins has now been given an extra three days to present his case to the AFL Commission.
In other developments yesterday:
- Carlton has reportedly revised its projected loss to an estimated $1 million after Collins and his new board spent Wednesday inspecting the club's football finances;
- Two other clubs will come under salary cap scrutiny by the AFL before the start of next season;
- Silvagni was reportedly urged by fellow directors to remain on the Blues' board and will, like Bradley, be granted indemnity for coming forward to the league;
- Collins moved to open the club's player payment details to the AFL upon learning the severity of the Blues' irregularities.
Collins will now front the commission in seven days, less than 48 hours before the scheduled national draft at which the Blues look certain to be stripped of their opening two picks.
As revealed by The Age two days ago, the AFL remains determined to punish Carlton over successive drafts and has told at least three other clubs of its intention to do so.
Despite claims by the league yesterday that the commission was unaware of any detail regarding the Blues' under-the-table payments, it is understood that commission chairman Ron Evans had been consistently briefed by his chief executive Wayne Jackson and Jackson's deputy Andrew Demetriou.
Jackson and Demetriou did not return calls from The Age last night.
Evans, Jackson and Demetriou remain determined to make an example of the Blues, whose former president John Elliott has consistently denied the club had anything to fear from investigation.
Those denials continued after two charges against the club were announced by the AFL on Monday.
The executive trio have repeatedly said they would recommend to the remaining commissioners that the Blues lose their first two picks in the coming draft along with picks two and three - which remain part of a suspended sentence hanging over the club - in next year's draft.
The timing of Collins' presentation is significant coming at 6pm next Friday, November 22, which would appear to rob the club of any legal attempt to thwart the AFL's punishment.
Collins had requested an extension before being required to face the commission.
The Blues' board, which began meeting at Optus Oval two days ago at 8am and did not depart until 7.30pm, will officially meet again early next week to continue to plough through the club's financial details and interview staff, many of whom have already painted a picture of a club run as a virtual autocracy by one man - Elliott.
The mooted million-dollar loss relates only to the football club and not the social club.
It has come despite a $300,000 injection in October from the sale of Waverley Park.
In one positive for Carlton yesterday, the club re-signed talented forward Matthew Lappin for three years.
And the Blues' only surviving directors from Elliott's last days - former champions Stephen Kernahan and Greg Williams - have indicated they would like to join coach Denis Pagan at the selection table next season.
Seems like 2 other club may be in trouble too!
Silvagni, Bradley admit rort
By Caroline Wilson
November 15 2002
The Carlton crisis deepened yesterday when two of the club's legends - Stephen Silvagni and Craig Bradley - confessed to the AFL that they had been involved in systematic salary cap cheating.
The move by Silvagni, who was voted on to the Carlton board on Tuesday night, and former skipper Bradley is believed to have come at the instigation of the club's new president Ian Collins.
Collins has now been given an extra three days to present his case to the AFL Commission.
In other developments yesterday:
- Carlton has reportedly revised its projected loss to an estimated $1 million after Collins and his new board spent Wednesday inspecting the club's football finances;
- Two other clubs will come under salary cap scrutiny by the AFL before the start of next season;
- Silvagni was reportedly urged by fellow directors to remain on the Blues' board and will, like Bradley, be granted indemnity for coming forward to the league;
- Collins moved to open the club's player payment details to the AFL upon learning the severity of the Blues' irregularities.
Collins will now front the commission in seven days, less than 48 hours before the scheduled national draft at which the Blues look certain to be stripped of their opening two picks.
As revealed by The Age two days ago, the AFL remains determined to punish Carlton over successive drafts and has told at least three other clubs of its intention to do so.
Despite claims by the league yesterday that the commission was unaware of any detail regarding the Blues' under-the-table payments, it is understood that commission chairman Ron Evans had been consistently briefed by his chief executive Wayne Jackson and Jackson's deputy Andrew Demetriou.
Jackson and Demetriou did not return calls from The Age last night.
Evans, Jackson and Demetriou remain determined to make an example of the Blues, whose former president John Elliott has consistently denied the club had anything to fear from investigation.
Those denials continued after two charges against the club were announced by the AFL on Monday.
The executive trio have repeatedly said they would recommend to the remaining commissioners that the Blues lose their first two picks in the coming draft along with picks two and three - which remain part of a suspended sentence hanging over the club - in next year's draft.
The timing of Collins' presentation is significant coming at 6pm next Friday, November 22, which would appear to rob the club of any legal attempt to thwart the AFL's punishment.
Collins had requested an extension before being required to face the commission.
The Blues' board, which began meeting at Optus Oval two days ago at 8am and did not depart until 7.30pm, will officially meet again early next week to continue to plough through the club's financial details and interview staff, many of whom have already painted a picture of a club run as a virtual autocracy by one man - Elliott.
The mooted million-dollar loss relates only to the football club and not the social club.
It has come despite a $300,000 injection in October from the sale of Waverley Park.
In one positive for Carlton yesterday, the club re-signed talented forward Matthew Lappin for three years.
And the Blues' only surviving directors from Elliott's last days - former champions Stephen Kernahan and Greg Williams - have indicated they would like to join coach Denis Pagan at the selection table next season.
