Former Parramatta Eels superstar Jarryd Hayne has reignited one of rugby league’s biggest controversies.
The 2009 Dally M Medal winner declared his grand final side was “cheated” by the Melbourne Storm.
His comments come as the NRL finals loom, with comparisons drawn between premiership chances inside and outside the top four.
Hayne has doubled down on social media, accusing the Storm of gaining an unfair edge by signing Brent Finch mid-season.
MORE: Former Eels and Rabbitohs star jailed
Hayne’s explosive claims
Responding to a post by The Cast Patrol highlighting how rare it is for teams outside the top four to reach the grand final, Hayne was blunt in his reply.
“One team didn’t lose,” Hayne wrote on Facebook.
“They were cheated. Plz get it right.”
The former fullback then expanded on his stance after Fox Sports Australia picked up the story.
“The year the Storm signed Brent Finch our highest paid player - they claimed they had salary cap space,” Hayne wrote.
“His arrival let GI (Greg Inglis) shift to the left edge, finally unlocking their attack.
“Finch set up the first try in that Grand Final on the left edge. We lost by 7 points.
“I’ve got no dramas with the Storm being over the cap with players that came through their system. But to go out and get a high calibre player is where it crossed the line for me.”
Storm’s stripped titles back in spotlight
Hayne’s outburst comes just weeks after the Storm were criticised for displaying their 2007 and 2009 premiership trophies at AAMI Park.
Both titles were stripped by the NRL in 2010 when it was revealed Melbourne had exceeded the salary cap by $3.7 million across a five-year period.
Veteran journalist Phil Rothfield questioned why the trophies remained on display.
“I don’t think those two trophies they were stripped of for salary cap cheating should be displayed,” Rothfield said on Triple M.
The debate was reignited again in Round 26 when the Storm marked coach Craig Bellamy’s 600th game.
A club statement referred to him guiding the Storm to “five Grand Final victories” - a tally which included the stripped 2007 and 2009 titles.
Salary cap scandal won’t fade
The Storm’s breaches remain one of the most infamous chapters in NRL history.
While the club has since won recognised premierships in 2012, 2017 and 2020, Hayne’s comments underline how painful the 2009 decider remains for Parramatta.
The Eels’ charge from eighth spot that year, powered by Hayne’s Dally M heroics, ended in a 23-16 loss to Melbourne.
But as Hayne reminded fans this week, for him and many others, that defeat still comes with an asterisk.