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The New Zealand Warriors are set to be penalised four to six competition points and fined up to $A500,000 for salary cap rorts, dating back to at least 2004, which put the club more than $A500,000 over the $A3.25 million cap limit.
The club's new management team is blaming the previous administration for secret player payments that have put the team's 2006 campaign at grave risk of becoming a disaster.
Warriors chairman Maurice Kidd told the Sydney Morning Herald yesterday that when the management informed him of irregularities they had found, he reacted with "horror, shock and disbelief".
"It pissed me off," Kidd said. "It was brought to my attention and then we immediately brought it to the attention of the NRL. The arrangements in question were made prior to the new administration coming in and we told the league we didn't know how this should be treated. It was a Pandora's box."

The Board of the Vodafone Warriors today announced it is working closely with the National Rugby League (NRL) to conduct a full investigation into squad player payments, after a number of potential discrepancies were uncovered in respect of the club’s salary cap. The potential discrepancies were discovered by Vodafone Warriors management during preparations for a standard pre-season follow-up audit by the NRL. Club chairman Maurice Kidd says the investigation relates to some player payments and arrangements negotiated prior to the appointment of the new management team – Chief Executive Wayne Scurrah, Executive Director, Football John Hart, and Head Coach Ivan Cleary – late last year. “We are in the process of clarifying the extent and current status of these arrangements and what obligations they may place on the club for the 2006 season and beyond, as well as any possible impact on the salary cap,” Kidd says.