But this punishment - the stripping of two premierships - leaves me feeling empty. As the Storm's ordained arch-critic, I guess I'm expected to be spraying bottles of MV Brut Schadenfreude 1998. Instead, I'm just sad.

I'm sad for the Storm fans. They might be crazed one-eyed lunatics, but so are we all. They have been defrauded as much as anyone else.

I'm sad for the fans of Manly and Parramatta and the other contenders who might have missed a chance in those years that will now go down in the record books as ‘No Premiership Awarded'.

I'm sad for the Melbourne players and coach, whose hard work is no less legitimate because of the fraudulence under which it operated.

I'm sad for the league, which has been done in by the same kind of dishonesty that the Bulldogs wrought nearly a decade ago.

Most of all, I'm sad for this current season, because whoever wins it will bear the asterisk: ‘2010 - did not have to overcome the team of Cameron Smith, Billy Slater and Inglis'.

The weirdest part of the punishment is the maximum points deduction for the current season, while expecting Melbourne to play their remaining fixtures. Who can be happy with this? Teams go to an echoing Etihad where all they can hope is to get out again with two points and no injuries. Will Melbourne even try? And if so, what's the reward? Pride? Team spirit? What good is either when the team, brought together on a fraudulent basis, is going to be broken up anyway?

But once you try to think of alternatives, the problem is that nothing works. According to reports, Melbourne have already cheated to the tune of $700,000 for the current season. The NRL could do the fair-seeming thing and dock them, say, 16 points - which would give them an incentive to keep on playing, knowing that if they win every game they can still make the finals. However - what if they do? They make the finals, cancel out the penalty, and win the premiership. As cheats!

Nope, nothing works. A limited penalty works no better than the maximum penalty. The fairest result is probably just to cancel all of Melbourne's remaining games, or cancel their games until they divest players to the point where they are under a true salary cap. But that's not really fair either.

This is the whirlwind that the cheats have sown and the other clubs, fans, and the league itself now have to reap: arguably the strongest team in the NRL running around for a season playing exhibitions which only have potential on the downside. It sucks.

I can't even say I told you so - because I didn't tell you so. When I called for the eradication of the purple Patersons Curse on Back Page Lead a few weeks ago, I was speaking in exasperation at how the Melbourne franchise had been subsidised by clubs that then suffered from Melbourne's excellence. I questioned whether Melbourne had enough income behind them to be a premiership club. In short, I only thought Melbourne should have to stand on their own two feet financially, or, if they were going to benefit from charity, could they please not be quite so good on the field.

But this is something different. This is a massive fraud perpetrated upon everyone who cares for the sport, Melbourne players and fans included. And the penalty is so harsh, I feel a little like those 18th century Parisian crowds who watched the nobility losing their heads in town squares and had to turn away in shame. Sure, some punishment is proper, but does it have to go this far?

So no gloating from this corner, but - but if Mr Inglis isn't doing anything, I think I can find a position for him.