Cronulla are without a coach less than three months before the start of the 2019 season after Shane Flanagan had his registration cancelled by the NRL on Thursday.
The Sharks have been fined the $400,000 that was suspended as part of Cronulla’s $1million fine for the infamous peptides scandal.
Cronulla have been fined an additional $400,000 for the breach, with the club facing a total fine of $800,000.
Flanagan has also been issued with a notice of intention to cancel his registration. He is not permitted to coach or act in any official capacity at the club pending the final determination despite the findings being preliminary.
Flanagan and Cronulla have been given until the end of January to respond.
Flanagan was facing allegations of contacting Sharks officials about player recruitment during his year-long suspension in 2014 for his role in the peptides scandal.
He was also under heavy scrutiny for salary cap discrepancies that have surfaced since he returned to the club.
Sharks Football Club CEO Barry Russell self-reported an undeclared third-party player payment, a relatively minor indiscretion believed to be worth about $50,000, to the NRL in June.
But, as part of the NRL’s ongoing salary cap probe, emails scanned from the Sharks’ internet server were reportedly found showing Flanagan had communicated with the club during his 2014 suspension.
It has been reported that as well as emails, text messages were found with Flanagan communicating with senior staff on issues relating to the 2015 season, when he was set to return.
The NRL Integrity Unit found evidence that supported their preliminary finding that Flanagan continued to have dealings with the club while he was suspended in 2014.
Flanagan was originally suspended for 12 months with three months suspended.
NRL CEO Todd Greenberg said during a press conference on Thursday he had “no choice” but to make the decisions he had made.
It was also a difficult day for the Wests Tigers who were also issued with a breach notice relating to an undisclosed agreement to pay Robbie Farah as an ambassador when he finishes his career.
The agreement was made in 2016 before Farah left the Tigers to join South Sydney, with the NRL believing the payment should have been disclosed and included in the salary cap.
The breach notice proposed a fine of $750,000 and that an amount of $639,000 – the value of the ambassador’s agreement – be deducted from the club’s salary cap in 2019.
The NRL has also issued a notice of intention to cancel the registration of Wests Tigers CEO Justin Pascoe.