Cronulla skipper Paul Gallen has warned Cameron Smith to ‘be careful’ after the Melbourne skipper demanded Storm’s stripped premierships be reinstated by the NRL.

Following Cronulla’s $750,000 fine for salary cap rorting which dated back to 2013, Smith sensationally demanded the NRL should reverse its punishment for similar breaches found at Melbourne back in 2010, dating back to 2006.

Storm were reported to be $1 million over the salary cap in 2008, 2009 and 2010 and as a result, were fined a record amount and stripped of their 2007 and 2009 premierships, as well as their minor premierships earned from 2006-08.

Speaking on Sports Sunday on Nine, Gallen said he took Smith’s comments to mean he wants a review into the historic breaches — a situation which landed Cronulla in their current situation.

“I think what he’s saying there is he wants an investigation to go back into Melbourne to see whether they deserved those premierships to be taken off them,” Gallen said.

“I will say this to Cam: be very careful what you wish for. We went in and self-reported a $50,000 discrepancy and the CEO thought that was all it was. It turned out to be a $700,000 discrepancy. Maybe you don’t want the NRL going back and searching those books particularly when they were found to be $3.7 million over the salary cap over five years. Three of those years they were $1 million over the salary cap, compared to the Sharks. We were $750,000 in illegal third-party payments that were intended to be paid. The NRL found that they were not even all paid.”

Smith’s comments were made during the launch of the NRL season in Sydney last week and were met with a mixed reaction from fans.

At the time of Melbourne’s salary cap breaches and subsequent punishment, Storm were not only stripped of their premierships but forced to play the remainder of the season for no competition points.

Many argue it was harsh in retrospect, and there has not been a punishment handed out quite like it since despite several salary cap scandals, including at Cronulla and Parramatta.

The NRL has said Cronulla were salary cap compliant on the day they won the 2016 premiership despite breaches each year dating back to 2013.

However, Gallen said if the NRL considered taking away their maiden premiership, he would quit the game altogether.

“If we got [our premierships] taken off us I would throw my ring away and I would quit the club immediately. It wouldn’t sit well with me. I would quit [rugby league altogether],” he said.

“This is what frustrates me with situations like this and situations we’ve gone through at the club.

“It’s not my job, it’s not a player’s job to go to every single other player and ask ‘how much are you earning, what are your third-parties, where are you getting them from?’

“We’ve been let down by the administration once again. But who cops it? The players? Who is sitting here today answering questions? Me, the captain of the club. Who is now going to play with an inferior team for the next two years? The players, while the administrators get to move on.”