The NRL will launch an investigation into allegations Manly breached the league's salary cap with secret payments to a player in a previous season.
A Fairfax media report on Wednesday suggested the Sea Eagles had breached the cap, with claims at least one unnamed former player was connected to cash payments made in a car park.
The report says Manly are one of several clubs under scrutiny for alleged top-up payments, which were said to have been uncovered by the NSW Organised crime squad during an investigation into match fixing.
The Sea Eagles have denied the claims and a spokesman for the NRL said they were "not in possession of evidence of any violations which would warrant any disciplinary action".
However, they said the governing body's integrity unit would investigate the allegations.
"We are in constant dialogue with the police and will take action if it is warranted," the spokesman said.
The Sea Eagles were quick to respond, and claimed they have had a clean record and their leading compliance position had been maintained over the past three years.
"There are in fact no allegations that the Club has been the subject of in relation to any components of the NRL Salary Cap or lower tier cap compliance," a club statement read.
Quite the contrary we recently had our 2017 mid-year Salary Cap audit completed by the NRL in record time and without adjustment."
Meanwhile, it was reported the investigation into match-fixing did not find evidence of any rigged games.
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