Acting Storm CEO Frank Stanton has urged fans to stay loyal as the club begins the long process of rebuilding following the damaging salary cap scandal.
With the full extent of Melbourne's cheating laid bare - $3.17m over five years according to a report released by auditors Deloitte – Stanton declared the dawn of a new, transparent era at the club.
"This will be another difficult period for the Melbourne Storm family," he said in a prepared statement on Thursday afternoon.
"But you have proven over the past few months that Melbourne Storm supporters are the most loyal and dedicated in the NRL."
"I want to thank you once again for the extraordinary support you have shown and I urge you to maintain your faith."
"We are determined to rebuild this club and ensure that the Storm will be a serious contender for the NRL premiership in 2011."
"We still have a lot to do and we do not underestimate the enormity of the challenge ahead of us."
"A new chief executive officer will be appointed soon and his job, together with the club's management, will be to ensure that we field a competitive team next year that is under the salary cap."
"The path to that future premiership begins today."
Stanton fully accepted Deloitte's findings, which pointed the finger at five senior managers but cleared coach Craig Bellamy, football manager Frank Ponissi and the players of any wrongdoing.
But the Storm boss remains upset the players did not cooperate with the team heading the Deloitte investigation.
"I wish they had. I did ask them on occasions," he declared.
Stanton does not believe the lack of cooperation implies the players knew of the salary cap rorting.
"I wouldn't think so. There is no evidence they were aware that any payments made to them were contravening the salary cap rules," he said.
"Our team has shown remarkable resilience since April and proven many people wrong by the way they have played for pride, their teammates and their supporters."
"I am sure that they will do us proud against the Warriors in Auckland on Saturday."
Stanton said it was too early to say whether the club would be able to hang on to its four marquee players Billy Slater, Cameron Smith, Greg Inglis and Cooper Cronk.