A string of high-profile National Rugby League side North Queensland Cowboys players -- "including star Johnathan Thurston, co-captain Matt Scott and State of Origin player James Tamou -- have acquired properties from millionaire developer Laurence Lancini," who is the long-serving chairman of the club, according to McClymont, Goodman & Carayannis of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. An investigation "can reveal that over the past seven years, 10 high-profile players have bought vacant blocks of land and apartments" from Lancini's companies. Questions have been raised "as to whether the property deals constitute breaches of the salary cap rules." NRL Head of Football Todd Greenberg and GM of Integrity Nick Weeks flew to Townsville on Monday "as part of their regular work." Weeks said in a statement on Tuesday that NRL salary cap auditors had "already reviewed some of the matters raised and had determined no further action was required, however they did not rule out further examination of the other deals." Players including Thurston, Tamou, Michael Morgan, Kane Linnett, Antonio Winterstein, and former players Matt Bowen and Luke O'Donnell have all "bought blocks of land" at new residential suburb Bohle Plains, which Lancini has been "instrumental in developing" (SMH, 7/28).
