The Parramatta Eels have been docked their twelve competition points for 2016 among other penalties with the NRL announcing the club had cheated the cap as far back as 2013.

Penalties include:

– The club will be fined the maximum penalty of $1 million (with $250,000 suspended if the club accelerates the governance reforms recommended by PWC within a specified time frame)

– The Parramatta Eels will be docked all competition points accumulated so far this season while their team was in breach of the salary cap. The club will be able to begin accruing points as soon as it makes the necessary changes to comply with the 2016 cap.

– The club will be stripped of its Auckland Nines competition title won earlier this year

We will need to take a stand on behalf of the fans, the club and the game,” NRL CEO Todd Greenberg said.

“This would be a tough outcome for many people, particularly the players and fans, but we believe it would be the start of a process to make the Parramatta club the powerhouse it should be.

“Unfortunately, we may have to go through this pain for the long term health of the club and the game.”

The Eels were have found to be:

– Paying players undisclosed remuneration from its own resources

– Procuring third party agreements for players in breach of the salary cap rules

– Conspiring with club suppliers to inflate or issue fictitious invoices to raise cash that was then relayed to players.