So are we allowed to discuss the Sharkies situation?
- Thread starter TigersFan4Life
- Start date
@tiger91 said:
The six clubs named although really it is just two clubs that have substantial problems.
snowleopard
New member
Yoss. Who would you think is the other club with a big problem?
tigersrule4life
New member
Big news and there saying more to come lets try and get Beau Ryan back and mabe try sign Luke Lewis if he has an out clause if the coach is not coaching sharks.
innsaneink
Well-known member
Yeh cause wingers and backrowers are what we REALLY need
Demonborger
New member
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/sharks-allege-coverup-20130309-2fsj7.html
Sharks allege cover-up
The Cronulla Sharks board stood down coach Shane Flanagan and sacked four other key staff members because the directors believe they knew about alleged doping procedures at the club and kept it hidden.
The board believe Flanagan had enough evidence of the alleged doping to ban the practice and report this to the board. A club insider said the board claimed that when injections began on the eve of the 2011 season, Flanagan allegedly said: ''I don't want to know about this.''
The board believes the other members of the football department did not act responsibly. Football manager Darren Mooney, club doctor David Givney, head trainer Mark Noakes and physiotherapist Konrad Schultz were sacked on Friday.
Mooney reported to the board on a monthly basis but did not say anything about the alleged doping practices until May 29, 2011\. It is understood it was Mooney, not Flanagan or Givney, who finally sacked controversial sports scientist Stephen Dank. Nor did Givney make any earlier protests about injections to the board. His sacking has caused considerable angst for directors with whom he has been close. They maintain he should have prevented injections being given by people other than trained doctors and nurses.
Advertisement
Two pieces of legal advice, including one from Alan Sullivan, QC, recommended sacking the five, including Noakes and Schultz, who were also employed in 2011\. The Cronulla board engaged lawyers more than two weeks ago and the advice to dismiss was carefully considered. The choice of Trish Kavanagh, a former board member of ASADA, now ASADA, and an arbitrator on the Court of Arbitration for Sport, has been suggested to have assisted in demonstrating the Sharks were not a party to a ''blokey cover-up.''
When contacted by Fairfax Media on Saturday, Flanagan said: ''Stephen Dank was involved with our strength and conditioning coach Trent Elkin. There were procedures we were not happy with. We had a meeting with our staff and there were clear and defined guidelines given not to proceed. There was a communication breakdown between Dank and our doctor. Eventually Dank was told not to have anything to do with our club. We couldn't take the risk of anything he was doing.''
The NRL/AFL doping scandal could blow up this season's schedule, and result in the obliteration of clubs, the early retirement of players, the ripping up of broadcasting contracts and strict new guidelines on the employment of staff at all clubs.
The near death sentence given the Storm because of their salary-cap breaches could be duplicated across the football landscape. Many believe that if this is necessary to force clubs and players to abide by world-wide doping rules, so be it. The Sharks and their players are the first casualties.
THE CLUB
Cronulla could disappear. WADA rules state that if two players from the one team are found guilty of doping, the team can be banned. Fourteen Sharks players face serious doping charges from the 2011 season, with only three likely to be cleared.
If rugby league wants to play internationally and receive federal grants, it must abide by WADA rules. Five women players from the recent North Korea FIFA World Cup were found guilty of doping and
banned for two years. However, the North Korean women's soccer team are banned from the next World Cup, effectively a four-year ban, punishing players who were not even members of the last World Cup squad.
If Australia wishes to compete in the Rugby League World Cup this year, the Sharks may have to take the fall. The Sharks believe their co-operation with ASADA will save the club from sanction but are unsure of the WADA implications.
Even if legal matters delay a WADA decision, Cronulla insiders fear the NRL's ongoing support of the Sharks could obligate them to re-locate to Perth in four years. Cancelling the Sharks' NRL licence to please WADA would void the recently agreed $1.2 billion broadcasting deal, which depends on eight games a week. The deal in the AFL, where Essendon is in jeopardy, demands nine games a week.
SHARKS PLAYERS
Fourteen current Sharks players have been offered six-month bans and the Sharks believe NRL/ASADA rules allow them to pay the players during their suspension, although ASADA bans suspended players from even training on club premises.
The players argue they were not told the substances breached anti-doping rules. Players are responsible for what enters their bodies, however. A Bulgarian gymnast, Andreea Raducan, lost a gold medal at the Sydney Olympics because she tested positive to a banned substance she believed was safe that was administered by her coach.
Sharks players have also argued the substances were not on the banned list. This is wrong. Two of the substances allegedly used were on the WADA prohibited-substances list. Players were allegedly injected initially, then given lozenges and finally a cream to rub into their biceps. ASADA officials argue they should have asked questions first.
The injections allegedly began in the Sharks' away dressing room on the Friday night before the first game of the 2011 season. They continued until April, 2011 when one player, believed to be Isaac Gordon, complained of bruising. When Givney, as club doctor, said he would have to give Gordon an injection, the wing/fullback said: ''Not another injection.''
Givney began asking questions, protesting to strength and conditioning coach Trent Elkin, who allegedly told him to ''piss off''. However, the performance and strength program continued, including the alleged use of lozenges, then the cream. There is a suggestion three Sharks players continued to see Dank, brought to the club by Elkin, after the club gave him his marching orders. Dank and Elkin have denied any wrongdoing.
OTHER NRL AND AFL PLAYERS
When the Sharks contacted potential spin doctors and other NRL/AFL clubs, they received an indication of the widespread nature of the scandal. One PR consultant declined, saying he was already employed by Newcastle. The Knights have two former Sharks from the 2011 season, Jeremy Smith and Kade Snowden, on their roster.
When the Sharks called Essendon to see if they could share information on strategies, they received no assistance. All 25 players at the Sharks in 2011 are being investigated and a further nine players are under scrutiny. One NRL club has quizzed a former Sharks player who reports seeing the use of cream but was never a user himself. People are asking about Manly, where Dank worked for five years, much longer than his stay at Cronulla.
THE TRAINER AND THE SPORTS SCIENTIST
The Sharks believe Elkin is the key figure in the scandal. He brought Dank to the club. They allege he initially injected himself to show the safety of the product. Elkin was seen at NRL headquarters about a month ago and it is believed ASADA have been receiving information from Customs, the ACC and Federal Police about shipments of banned substances from China being distributed by motorcycle gangs.
Fairfax Media has been told Elkin's phone was tapped. A Sharks insider says there is evidence of Elkin standing in the dressing room with vials behind his back to avoid TV cameras. Elkin left the club last year and is now a trainer at Parramatta.
The Eels have declared their faith in him, causing angst with Sharks players, who point to Parramatta's support of Elkin, compared with the standing down and sacking of their coach, manager, doctor, trainer and masseur. It is uncertain whether ASADA has offered Elkin indemnity but should this be so, it will cause anger across the NRL, given its opposition to the ''give-up'' mentality. However, Elkin has strong support from Flanagan and the Cronulla football department, who believe that he nearly told ASADA when he met with them in Canberra that the players were using legal supplements supplied by Dank. Earlier, when the club was drug-tested and no players returned a positive result, there was a confidence that the products were legal.
SHARKS BOARD
Five of the nine-man Cronulla board were not directors in 2011\. Chairman Damian Irvine is overseas and was to return on Saturday night, on the eve of the opening game against the Titans. Elections are due in a month.
Irvine seemed willing to fulfill the joint role of chairman and interim chief executive. He is popular with season ticket holders and is one of the first in the dressing room, yet his critics claim he is first and foremost a fan rather than a chairman who closely watches all aspects of the club.
There is a suggestion some directors will not continue unless a chairman demonstrating greater distance from the players and staff takes control.
THE SHARKS AND THE NRL
The Sharks were called to the NRL last week for a meeting with ASADA, where they were told the extent of the information gained. The club had been conducting its own inquiries and reached similar conclusions. It was then the Sharks doubted whether any of their players could succeed with a ''not my fault'' defence.
ASADA offered six-month bans in exchange for guilty pleas and the Sharks sweetened this with a commitment to keep paying them. The players rejected the offer.
The Sharks board accept that their coaching/training staff have been negligent and will stand by their players. The Sharks players are furious and met at a local hotel with three former players, now directors, Jonathan Docking, Glenn Coleman and Phil Tiernan. After 45 minutes of vitriol, the players settled and some understood the club's stance.
\
\
Read more: http://www.canberratimes.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/sharks-allege-coverup-20130309-2fsj7.html#ixzz2N2syWchD
Sharks allege cover-up
The Cronulla Sharks board stood down coach Shane Flanagan and sacked four other key staff members because the directors believe they knew about alleged doping procedures at the club and kept it hidden.
The board believe Flanagan had enough evidence of the alleged doping to ban the practice and report this to the board. A club insider said the board claimed that when injections began on the eve of the 2011 season, Flanagan allegedly said: ''I don't want to know about this.''
The board believes the other members of the football department did not act responsibly. Football manager Darren Mooney, club doctor David Givney, head trainer Mark Noakes and physiotherapist Konrad Schultz were sacked on Friday.
Mooney reported to the board on a monthly basis but did not say anything about the alleged doping practices until May 29, 2011\. It is understood it was Mooney, not Flanagan or Givney, who finally sacked controversial sports scientist Stephen Dank. Nor did Givney make any earlier protests about injections to the board. His sacking has caused considerable angst for directors with whom he has been close. They maintain he should have prevented injections being given by people other than trained doctors and nurses.
Advertisement
Two pieces of legal advice, including one from Alan Sullivan, QC, recommended sacking the five, including Noakes and Schultz, who were also employed in 2011\. The Cronulla board engaged lawyers more than two weeks ago and the advice to dismiss was carefully considered. The choice of Trish Kavanagh, a former board member of ASADA, now ASADA, and an arbitrator on the Court of Arbitration for Sport, has been suggested to have assisted in demonstrating the Sharks were not a party to a ''blokey cover-up.''
When contacted by Fairfax Media on Saturday, Flanagan said: ''Stephen Dank was involved with our strength and conditioning coach Trent Elkin. There were procedures we were not happy with. We had a meeting with our staff and there were clear and defined guidelines given not to proceed. There was a communication breakdown between Dank and our doctor. Eventually Dank was told not to have anything to do with our club. We couldn't take the risk of anything he was doing.''
The NRL/AFL doping scandal could blow up this season's schedule, and result in the obliteration of clubs, the early retirement of players, the ripping up of broadcasting contracts and strict new guidelines on the employment of staff at all clubs.
The near death sentence given the Storm because of their salary-cap breaches could be duplicated across the football landscape. Many believe that if this is necessary to force clubs and players to abide by world-wide doping rules, so be it. The Sharks and their players are the first casualties.
THE CLUB
Cronulla could disappear. WADA rules state that if two players from the one team are found guilty of doping, the team can be banned. Fourteen Sharks players face serious doping charges from the 2011 season, with only three likely to be cleared.
If rugby league wants to play internationally and receive federal grants, it must abide by WADA rules. Five women players from the recent North Korea FIFA World Cup were found guilty of doping and
banned for two years. However, the North Korean women's soccer team are banned from the next World Cup, effectively a four-year ban, punishing players who were not even members of the last World Cup squad.
If Australia wishes to compete in the Rugby League World Cup this year, the Sharks may have to take the fall. The Sharks believe their co-operation with ASADA will save the club from sanction but are unsure of the WADA implications.
Even if legal matters delay a WADA decision, Cronulla insiders fear the NRL's ongoing support of the Sharks could obligate them to re-locate to Perth in four years. Cancelling the Sharks' NRL licence to please WADA would void the recently agreed $1.2 billion broadcasting deal, which depends on eight games a week. The deal in the AFL, where Essendon is in jeopardy, demands nine games a week.
SHARKS PLAYERS
Fourteen current Sharks players have been offered six-month bans and the Sharks believe NRL/ASADA rules allow them to pay the players during their suspension, although ASADA bans suspended players from even training on club premises.
The players argue they were not told the substances breached anti-doping rules. Players are responsible for what enters their bodies, however. A Bulgarian gymnast, Andreea Raducan, lost a gold medal at the Sydney Olympics because she tested positive to a banned substance she believed was safe that was administered by her coach.
Sharks players have also argued the substances were not on the banned list. This is wrong. Two of the substances allegedly used were on the WADA prohibited-substances list. Players were allegedly injected initially, then given lozenges and finally a cream to rub into their biceps. ASADA officials argue they should have asked questions first.
The injections allegedly began in the Sharks' away dressing room on the Friday night before the first game of the 2011 season. They continued until April, 2011 when one player, believed to be Isaac Gordon, complained of bruising. When Givney, as club doctor, said he would have to give Gordon an injection, the wing/fullback said: ''Not another injection.''
Givney began asking questions, protesting to strength and conditioning coach Trent Elkin, who allegedly told him to ''piss off''. However, the performance and strength program continued, including the alleged use of lozenges, then the cream. There is a suggestion three Sharks players continued to see Dank, brought to the club by Elkin, after the club gave him his marching orders. Dank and Elkin have denied any wrongdoing.
OTHER NRL AND AFL PLAYERS
When the Sharks contacted potential spin doctors and other NRL/AFL clubs, they received an indication of the widespread nature of the scandal. One PR consultant declined, saying he was already employed by Newcastle. The Knights have two former Sharks from the 2011 season, Jeremy Smith and Kade Snowden, on their roster.
When the Sharks called Essendon to see if they could share information on strategies, they received no assistance. All 25 players at the Sharks in 2011 are being investigated and a further nine players are under scrutiny. One NRL club has quizzed a former Sharks player who reports seeing the use of cream but was never a user himself. People are asking about Manly, where Dank worked for five years, much longer than his stay at Cronulla.
THE TRAINER AND THE SPORTS SCIENTIST
The Sharks believe Elkin is the key figure in the scandal. He brought Dank to the club. They allege he initially injected himself to show the safety of the product. Elkin was seen at NRL headquarters about a month ago and it is believed ASADA have been receiving information from Customs, the ACC and Federal Police about shipments of banned substances from China being distributed by motorcycle gangs.
Fairfax Media has been told Elkin's phone was tapped. A Sharks insider says there is evidence of Elkin standing in the dressing room with vials behind his back to avoid TV cameras. Elkin left the club last year and is now a trainer at Parramatta.
The Eels have declared their faith in him, causing angst with Sharks players, who point to Parramatta's support of Elkin, compared with the standing down and sacking of their coach, manager, doctor, trainer and masseur. It is uncertain whether ASADA has offered Elkin indemnity but should this be so, it will cause anger across the NRL, given its opposition to the ''give-up'' mentality. However, Elkin has strong support from Flanagan and the Cronulla football department, who believe that he nearly told ASADA when he met with them in Canberra that the players were using legal supplements supplied by Dank. Earlier, when the club was drug-tested and no players returned a positive result, there was a confidence that the products were legal.
SHARKS BOARD
Five of the nine-man Cronulla board were not directors in 2011\. Chairman Damian Irvine is overseas and was to return on Saturday night, on the eve of the opening game against the Titans. Elections are due in a month.
Irvine seemed willing to fulfill the joint role of chairman and interim chief executive. He is popular with season ticket holders and is one of the first in the dressing room, yet his critics claim he is first and foremost a fan rather than a chairman who closely watches all aspects of the club.
There is a suggestion some directors will not continue unless a chairman demonstrating greater distance from the players and staff takes control.
THE SHARKS AND THE NRL
The Sharks were called to the NRL last week for a meeting with ASADA, where they were told the extent of the information gained. The club had been conducting its own inquiries and reached similar conclusions. It was then the Sharks doubted whether any of their players could succeed with a ''not my fault'' defence.
ASADA offered six-month bans in exchange for guilty pleas and the Sharks sweetened this with a commitment to keep paying them. The players rejected the offer.
The Sharks board accept that their coaching/training staff have been negligent and will stand by their players. The Sharks players are furious and met at a local hotel with three former players, now directors, Jonathan Docking, Glenn Coleman and Phil Tiernan. After 45 minutes of vitriol, the players settled and some understood the club's stance.
\
\
Read more: http://www.canberratimes.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/sharks-allege-coverup-20130309-2fsj7.html#ixzz2N2syWchD
happy_tiger
Well-known member
Can you imagine that Not playing the World Cup FMD
The other thing that I haven't seen brought up is ….........
Is it fair that some sides are playing against basically illegal sides at the moment , but others later in the season may face sides missing many of their top players
The other thing that I haven't seen brought up is ….........
Is it fair that some sides are playing against basically illegal sides at the moment , but others later in the season may face sides missing many of their top players
@snowleopard said:
Manly
happy_tiger
Well-known member
@Yossarian said:
Newcastle with Jeremy Smith and Kane Snowden
Demonborger
New member
Rumours doing the rounds (take with a grain of salt):
*Another Sydney team in trouble and will be targeted after Cronulla
*A premiership in doubt
*A regional team to be also be targeted
*A premiership winner and new recruit in trouble
On face value it all seems far-fetched but so did this thing with Cronulla circa tuesday or so…
*Another Sydney team in trouble and will be targeted after Cronulla
*A premiership in doubt
*A regional team to be also be targeted
*A premiership winner and new recruit in trouble
On face value it all seems far-fetched but so did this thing with Cronulla circa tuesday or so…
Tigerdave
Well-known member
Sharks allege cover-up
Date March 10, 2013
Roy Masters
Rugby League Columnist
\
\
The Cronulla Sharks board stood down coach Shane Flanagan and sacked four other key staff members because the directors believe they knew about alleged doping procedures at the club and kept it hidden.
The board believe Flanagan had enough evidence of the alleged doping to ban the practice and report this to the board. A club insider said the board claimed that when injections began on the eve of the 2011 season, Flanagan allegedly said: ''I don't want to know about this.''
The board believes the other members of the football department did not act responsibly. Football manager Darren Mooney, club doctor David Givney, head trainer Mark Noakes and physiotherapist Konrad Schultz were sacked on Friday.
Mooney reported to the board on a monthly basis but did not say anything about the alleged doping practices until May 29, 2011\. It is understood it was Mooney, not Flanagan or Givney, who finally sacked controversial sports scientist Stephen Dank. Nor did Givney make any earlier protests about injections to the board. His sacking has caused considerable angst for directors with whom he has been close. They maintain he should have prevented injections being given by people other than trained doctors and nurses.
Two pieces of legal advice, including one from Alan Sullivan, QC, recommended sacking the five, including Noakes and Schultz, who were also employed in 2011\. The Cronulla board engaged lawyers more than two weeks ago and the advice to dismiss was carefully considered. The choice of Trish Kavanagh, a former board member of ASADA, now ASADA, and an arbitrator on the Court of Arbitration for Sport, has been suggested to have assisted in demonstrating the Sharks were not a party to a ''blokey cover-up.''
When contacted by Fairfax Media on Saturday, Flanagan said: ''Stephen Dank was involved with our strength and conditioning coach Trent Elkin. There were procedures we were not happy with. We had a meeting with our staff and there were clear and defined guidelines given not to proceed. There was a communication breakdown between Dank and our doctor. Eventually Dank was told not to have anything to do with our club. We couldn't take the risk of anything he was doing.''
The NRL/AFL doping scandal could blow up this season's schedule, and result in the obliteration of clubs, the early retirement of players, the ripping up of broadcasting contracts and strict new guidelines on the employment of staff at all clubs.
The near death sentence given the Storm because of their salary-cap breaches could be duplicated across the football landscape. Many believe that if this is necessary to force clubs and players to abide by world-wide doping rules, so be it. The Sharks and their players are the first casualties.
THE CLUB
Cronulla could disappear. WADA rules state that if two players from the one team are found guilty of doping, the team can be banned. Fourteen Sharks players face serious doping charges from the 2011 season, with only three likely to be cleared.
If rugby league wants to play internationally and receive federal grants, it must abide by WADA rules. Five women players from the recent North Korea FIFA World Cup were found guilty of doping and
banned for two years. However, the North Korean women's soccer team are banned from the next World Cup, effectively a four-year ban, punishing players who were not even members of the last World Cup squad.
If Australia wishes to compete in the Rugby League World Cup this year, the Sharks may have to take the fall. The Sharks believe their co-operation with ASADA will save the club from sanction but are unsure of the WADA implications.
Even if legal matters delay a WADA decision, Cronulla insiders fear the NRL's ongoing support of the Sharks could obligate them to re-locate to Perth in four years. Cancelling the Sharks' NRL licence to please WADA would void the recently agreed $1.2 billion broadcasting deal, which depends on eight games a week. The deal in the AFL, where Essendon is in jeopardy, demands nine games a week.
SHARKS PLAYERS
Fourteen current Sharks players have been offered six-month bans and the Sharks believe NRL/ASADA rules allow them to pay the players during their suspension, although ASADA bans suspended players from even training on club premises.
The players argue they were not told the substances breached anti-doping rules. Players are responsible for what enters their bodies, however. A Bulgarian gymnast, Andreea Raducan, lost a gold medal at the Sydney Olympics because she tested positive to a banned substance she believed was safe that was administered by her coach.
Sharks players have also argued the substances were not on the banned list. This is wrong. Two of the substances allegedly used were on the WADA prohibited-substances list. Players were allegedly injected initially, then given lozenges and finally a cream to rub into their biceps. ASADA officials argue they should have asked questions first.
The injections allegedly began in the Sharks' away dressing room on the Friday night before the first game of the 2011 season. They continued until April, 2011 when one player, believed to be Isaac Gordon, complained of bruising. When Givney, as club doctor, said he would have to give Gordon an injection, the wing/fullback said: ''Not another injection.''
Givney began asking questions, protesting to strength and conditioning coach Trent Elkin, who allegedly told him to ''piss off''. However, the performance and strength program continued, including the alleged use of lozenges, then the cream. There is a suggestion three Sharks players continued to see Dank, brought to the club by Elkin, after the club gave him his marching orders. Dank and Elkin have denied any wrongdoing.
OTHER NRL AND AFL PLAYERS
When the Sharks contacted potential spin doctors and other NRL/AFL clubs, they received an indication of the widespread nature of the scandal. One PR consultant declined, saying he was already employed by Newcastle. The Knights have two former Sharks from the 2011 season, Jeremy Smith and Kade Snowden, on their roster.
When the Sharks called Essendon to see if they could share information on strategies, they received no assistance. All 25 players at the Sharks in 2011 are being investigated and a further nine players are under scrutiny. One NRL club has quizzed a former Sharks player who reports seeing the use of cream but was never a user himself. People are asking about Manly, where Dank worked for five years, much longer than his stay at Cronulla.
THE TRAINER AND THE SPORTS SCIENTIST
The Sharks believe Elkin is the key figure in the scandal. He brought Dank to the club. They allege he initially injected himself to show the safety of the product. Elkin was seen at NRL headquarters about a month ago and it is believed ASADA have been receiving information from Customs, the ACC and Federal Police about shipments of banned substances from China being distributed by motorcycle gangs.
Fairfax Media has been told Elkin's phone was tapped. A Sharks insider says there is evidence of Elkin standing in the dressing room with vials behind his back to avoid TV cameras. Elkin left the club last year and is now a trainer at Parramatta.
The Eels have declared their faith in him, causing angst with Sharks players, who point to Parramatta's support of Elkin, compared with the standing down and sacking of their coach, manager, doctor, trainer and masseur. It is uncertain whether ASADA has offered Elkin indemnity but should this be so, it will cause anger across the NRL, given its opposition to the ''give-up'' mentality. However, Elkin has strong support from Flanagan and the Cronulla football department, who believe that he nearly told ASADA when he met with them in Canberra that the players were using legal supplements supplied by Dank. Earlier, when the club was drug-tested and no players returned a positive result, there was a confidence that the products were legal.
SHARKS BOARD
Five of the nine-man Cronulla board were not directors in 2011\. Chairman Damian Irvine is overseas and was to return on Saturday night, on the eve of the opening game against the Titans. Elections are due in a month.
Irvine seemed willing to fulfill the joint role of chairman and interim chief executive. He is popular with season ticket holders and is one of the first in the dressing room, yet his critics claim he is first and foremost a fan rather than a chairman who closely watches all aspects of the club.
There is a suggestion some directors will not continue unless a chairman demonstrating greater distance from the players and staff takes control.
THE SHARKS AND THE NRL
The Sharks were called to the NRL last week for a meeting with ASADA, where they were told the extent of the information gained. The club had been conducting its own inquiries and reached similar conclusions. It was then the Sharks doubted whether any of their players could succeed with a ''not my fault'' defence.
ASADA offered six-month bans in exchange for guilty pleas and the Sharks sweetened this with a commitment to keep paying them. The players rejected the offer.
The Sharks board accept that their coaching/training staff have been negligent and will stand by their players. The Sharks players are furious and met at a local hotel with three former players, now directors, Jonathan Docking, Glenn Coleman and Phil Tiernan. After 45 minutes of vitriol, the players settled and some understood the club's stance.
\
\
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/sharks-allege-coverup-20130309-2fsj7.html
Date March 10, 2013
Roy Masters
Rugby League Columnist
\
\
The Cronulla Sharks board stood down coach Shane Flanagan and sacked four other key staff members because the directors believe they knew about alleged doping procedures at the club and kept it hidden.
The board believe Flanagan had enough evidence of the alleged doping to ban the practice and report this to the board. A club insider said the board claimed that when injections began on the eve of the 2011 season, Flanagan allegedly said: ''I don't want to know about this.''
The board believes the other members of the football department did not act responsibly. Football manager Darren Mooney, club doctor David Givney, head trainer Mark Noakes and physiotherapist Konrad Schultz were sacked on Friday.
Mooney reported to the board on a monthly basis but did not say anything about the alleged doping practices until May 29, 2011\. It is understood it was Mooney, not Flanagan or Givney, who finally sacked controversial sports scientist Stephen Dank. Nor did Givney make any earlier protests about injections to the board. His sacking has caused considerable angst for directors with whom he has been close. They maintain he should have prevented injections being given by people other than trained doctors and nurses.
Two pieces of legal advice, including one from Alan Sullivan, QC, recommended sacking the five, including Noakes and Schultz, who were also employed in 2011\. The Cronulla board engaged lawyers more than two weeks ago and the advice to dismiss was carefully considered. The choice of Trish Kavanagh, a former board member of ASADA, now ASADA, and an arbitrator on the Court of Arbitration for Sport, has been suggested to have assisted in demonstrating the Sharks were not a party to a ''blokey cover-up.''
When contacted by Fairfax Media on Saturday, Flanagan said: ''Stephen Dank was involved with our strength and conditioning coach Trent Elkin. There were procedures we were not happy with. We had a meeting with our staff and there were clear and defined guidelines given not to proceed. There was a communication breakdown between Dank and our doctor. Eventually Dank was told not to have anything to do with our club. We couldn't take the risk of anything he was doing.''
The NRL/AFL doping scandal could blow up this season's schedule, and result in the obliteration of clubs, the early retirement of players, the ripping up of broadcasting contracts and strict new guidelines on the employment of staff at all clubs.
The near death sentence given the Storm because of their salary-cap breaches could be duplicated across the football landscape. Many believe that if this is necessary to force clubs and players to abide by world-wide doping rules, so be it. The Sharks and their players are the first casualties.
THE CLUB
Cronulla could disappear. WADA rules state that if two players from the one team are found guilty of doping, the team can be banned. Fourteen Sharks players face serious doping charges from the 2011 season, with only three likely to be cleared.
If rugby league wants to play internationally and receive federal grants, it must abide by WADA rules. Five women players from the recent North Korea FIFA World Cup were found guilty of doping and
banned for two years. However, the North Korean women's soccer team are banned from the next World Cup, effectively a four-year ban, punishing players who were not even members of the last World Cup squad.
If Australia wishes to compete in the Rugby League World Cup this year, the Sharks may have to take the fall. The Sharks believe their co-operation with ASADA will save the club from sanction but are unsure of the WADA implications.
Even if legal matters delay a WADA decision, Cronulla insiders fear the NRL's ongoing support of the Sharks could obligate them to re-locate to Perth in four years. Cancelling the Sharks' NRL licence to please WADA would void the recently agreed $1.2 billion broadcasting deal, which depends on eight games a week. The deal in the AFL, where Essendon is in jeopardy, demands nine games a week.
SHARKS PLAYERS
Fourteen current Sharks players have been offered six-month bans and the Sharks believe NRL/ASADA rules allow them to pay the players during their suspension, although ASADA bans suspended players from even training on club premises.
The players argue they were not told the substances breached anti-doping rules. Players are responsible for what enters their bodies, however. A Bulgarian gymnast, Andreea Raducan, lost a gold medal at the Sydney Olympics because she tested positive to a banned substance she believed was safe that was administered by her coach.
Sharks players have also argued the substances were not on the banned list. This is wrong. Two of the substances allegedly used were on the WADA prohibited-substances list. Players were allegedly injected initially, then given lozenges and finally a cream to rub into their biceps. ASADA officials argue they should have asked questions first.
The injections allegedly began in the Sharks' away dressing room on the Friday night before the first game of the 2011 season. They continued until April, 2011 when one player, believed to be Isaac Gordon, complained of bruising. When Givney, as club doctor, said he would have to give Gordon an injection, the wing/fullback said: ''Not another injection.''
Givney began asking questions, protesting to strength and conditioning coach Trent Elkin, who allegedly told him to ''piss off''. However, the performance and strength program continued, including the alleged use of lozenges, then the cream. There is a suggestion three Sharks players continued to see Dank, brought to the club by Elkin, after the club gave him his marching orders. Dank and Elkin have denied any wrongdoing.
OTHER NRL AND AFL PLAYERS
When the Sharks contacted potential spin doctors and other NRL/AFL clubs, they received an indication of the widespread nature of the scandal. One PR consultant declined, saying he was already employed by Newcastle. The Knights have two former Sharks from the 2011 season, Jeremy Smith and Kade Snowden, on their roster.
When the Sharks called Essendon to see if they could share information on strategies, they received no assistance. All 25 players at the Sharks in 2011 are being investigated and a further nine players are under scrutiny. One NRL club has quizzed a former Sharks player who reports seeing the use of cream but was never a user himself. People are asking about Manly, where Dank worked for five years, much longer than his stay at Cronulla.
THE TRAINER AND THE SPORTS SCIENTIST
The Sharks believe Elkin is the key figure in the scandal. He brought Dank to the club. They allege he initially injected himself to show the safety of the product. Elkin was seen at NRL headquarters about a month ago and it is believed ASADA have been receiving information from Customs, the ACC and Federal Police about shipments of banned substances from China being distributed by motorcycle gangs.
Fairfax Media has been told Elkin's phone was tapped. A Sharks insider says there is evidence of Elkin standing in the dressing room with vials behind his back to avoid TV cameras. Elkin left the club last year and is now a trainer at Parramatta.
The Eels have declared their faith in him, causing angst with Sharks players, who point to Parramatta's support of Elkin, compared with the standing down and sacking of their coach, manager, doctor, trainer and masseur. It is uncertain whether ASADA has offered Elkin indemnity but should this be so, it will cause anger across the NRL, given its opposition to the ''give-up'' mentality. However, Elkin has strong support from Flanagan and the Cronulla football department, who believe that he nearly told ASADA when he met with them in Canberra that the players were using legal supplements supplied by Dank. Earlier, when the club was drug-tested and no players returned a positive result, there was a confidence that the products were legal.
SHARKS BOARD
Five of the nine-man Cronulla board were not directors in 2011\. Chairman Damian Irvine is overseas and was to return on Saturday night, on the eve of the opening game against the Titans. Elections are due in a month.
Irvine seemed willing to fulfill the joint role of chairman and interim chief executive. He is popular with season ticket holders and is one of the first in the dressing room, yet his critics claim he is first and foremost a fan rather than a chairman who closely watches all aspects of the club.
There is a suggestion some directors will not continue unless a chairman demonstrating greater distance from the players and staff takes control.
THE SHARKS AND THE NRL
The Sharks were called to the NRL last week for a meeting with ASADA, where they were told the extent of the information gained. The club had been conducting its own inquiries and reached similar conclusions. It was then the Sharks doubted whether any of their players could succeed with a ''not my fault'' defence.
ASADA offered six-month bans in exchange for guilty pleas and the Sharks sweetened this with a commitment to keep paying them. The players rejected the offer.
The Sharks board accept that their coaching/training staff have been negligent and will stand by their players. The Sharks players are furious and met at a local hotel with three former players, now directors, Jonathan Docking, Glenn Coleman and Phil Tiernan. After 45 minutes of vitriol, the players settled and some understood the club's stance.
\
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http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/sharks-allege-coverup-20130309-2fsj7.html
H
Hardwick
Guest
Isn't Allan Sullivan QC Hadley's mate? Is the same guy that was dishing the ACC report on the Ch9 special when the story first broke? I dont get GOULDs article in SMH.. surely the safety of the players is the big issue not the image of the game? the game will survive.. some players may not if they keep taking substances better left for horses.
innsaneink
Well-known member
@happy tiger said:
I brought this up before - "the comp 1/4 way into round one is under a black cloud" - question marks over the legitmacy over every game
The comps ruined already imo, the eventual premier will forever have a * next to their name and 2013…..same maybe for '08 and '11
????'s everywhere
diedpretty
Well-known member
Shark attack
Date March 10, 2013 150 reading now
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Daniel Lane, Nick Ralston
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EXCLUSIVE
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Denial: Cronulla Sharks Chairman Damian Irvine. Photo: Kate Geraghty
Cronulla Sharks players have allegedly received under-the-table payments from a security company sponsor, opening another battle front for the club at the centre of an investigation by the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Agency.
Fairfax Media has confirmed the Sharks have recently severed ties with the company E Group Security, which was a sponsor and provided security to the club, and replaced it with another security firm.
However, it has been alleged once the club realised the company, run by former rugby league player Sami Chamoun, had allegedly helped to top up the money for its star players outside the salary cap, the board went into panic mode.
\
\
Mired in scandal: The Sharks at training on Saturday. Photo: Sasha Woolley
The club informed the NRL's salary cap auditor when it became aware of the allegations, and the auditor is investigating the claims.
Advertisement
A breach of the cap on payments to players is a serious offence under NRL membership rules, and crippled Melbourne Storm when its breaches became public.
The dispute with its sponsor is the last thing the Cronulla club needs on the back of allegations levelled at it by ASADA and Friday's sacking of four senior staff members and the decision to stand coach Shane Flanagan down.
Mr Chamoun, 37, confirmed his security company had lost its contract with the Sharks despite having two years left to run. His lawyers had written to the Sharks on Friday informing them they were taking legal action for a breach of contract.
''As part of the contract there was a sponsorship component with the club which we kept to,'' he told Fairfax Media. ''There's a lot more to it than that. I really can't say too much yet. We only served the letter with them on Friday and we want to give them the chance to respond.''
Asked if he had paid Sharks players directly instead of the club, Mr Chamoun said: ''I never said that.''
The Sharks, including chairman Damian Irvine and suspended coach Flanagan, denied there were any inappropriate payments made by Mr Chamoun while the head of Cronulla's commercial operations Patrick Woods said he had no comment at all.
''We changed security companies for this season and an ongoing contractual dispute with our previous contractors eventuates,'' Irvine said in a text sent from Los Angeles. ''The NRL salary cap auditor was informed of their inference when they were made and asked to ensure all payments were correctly registered.''
It was understood the club called an emergency meeting two weeks ago to discus the matter, and the possible ramifications. Apart from lawyers, Flanagan and skipper Paul Gallen were said to have attended.
Flanagan, who was sensationally suspended on Friday, was incensed by the story, saying it was something he did not want to get caught up in. ''I'm not getting into rubbish talk like that,'' he said. ''The rumour, I've heard it, but I'm not going down there now. I have more things to worry about.''
Mr Chamoun, a former front-rower for the Illawarra Steelers in the 1990s, established E Group Security in late 2004\. The business boasts more than 1000 staff and provides security and cleaning services to more than 200 clients, which include the NSW government and the City of Sydney. It also does work for a number of other NRL teams, including the Wests Tigers, Penrith Panthers, Sydney Roosters and Newcastle Knights. It also counts the NRL and Parramatta Stadium among its clients.
Mr Chamoun runs the company out of an office in Petersham.
The Sharks open their NRL season on Sunday night with a home clash against the Gold Coast Titans. They were listed as one of the pre-season favourites for the premiership in 2013 but the major setbacks suffered over the past week will be a huge hurdle to overcome to break the club's long-running title drought.
Date March 10, 2013 150 reading now
\
\
Daniel Lane, Nick Ralston
\
\
EXCLUSIVE
\
\
Denial: Cronulla Sharks Chairman Damian Irvine. Photo: Kate Geraghty
Cronulla Sharks players have allegedly received under-the-table payments from a security company sponsor, opening another battle front for the club at the centre of an investigation by the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Agency.
Fairfax Media has confirmed the Sharks have recently severed ties with the company E Group Security, which was a sponsor and provided security to the club, and replaced it with another security firm.
However, it has been alleged once the club realised the company, run by former rugby league player Sami Chamoun, had allegedly helped to top up the money for its star players outside the salary cap, the board went into panic mode.
\
\
Mired in scandal: The Sharks at training on Saturday. Photo: Sasha Woolley
The club informed the NRL's salary cap auditor when it became aware of the allegations, and the auditor is investigating the claims.
Advertisement
A breach of the cap on payments to players is a serious offence under NRL membership rules, and crippled Melbourne Storm when its breaches became public.
The dispute with its sponsor is the last thing the Cronulla club needs on the back of allegations levelled at it by ASADA and Friday's sacking of four senior staff members and the decision to stand coach Shane Flanagan down.
Mr Chamoun, 37, confirmed his security company had lost its contract with the Sharks despite having two years left to run. His lawyers had written to the Sharks on Friday informing them they were taking legal action for a breach of contract.
''As part of the contract there was a sponsorship component with the club which we kept to,'' he told Fairfax Media. ''There's a lot more to it than that. I really can't say too much yet. We only served the letter with them on Friday and we want to give them the chance to respond.''
Asked if he had paid Sharks players directly instead of the club, Mr Chamoun said: ''I never said that.''
The Sharks, including chairman Damian Irvine and suspended coach Flanagan, denied there were any inappropriate payments made by Mr Chamoun while the head of Cronulla's commercial operations Patrick Woods said he had no comment at all.
''We changed security companies for this season and an ongoing contractual dispute with our previous contractors eventuates,'' Irvine said in a text sent from Los Angeles. ''The NRL salary cap auditor was informed of their inference when they were made and asked to ensure all payments were correctly registered.''
It was understood the club called an emergency meeting two weeks ago to discus the matter, and the possible ramifications. Apart from lawyers, Flanagan and skipper Paul Gallen were said to have attended.
Flanagan, who was sensationally suspended on Friday, was incensed by the story, saying it was something he did not want to get caught up in. ''I'm not getting into rubbish talk like that,'' he said. ''The rumour, I've heard it, but I'm not going down there now. I have more things to worry about.''
Mr Chamoun, a former front-rower for the Illawarra Steelers in the 1990s, established E Group Security in late 2004\. The business boasts more than 1000 staff and provides security and cleaning services to more than 200 clients, which include the NSW government and the City of Sydney. It also does work for a number of other NRL teams, including the Wests Tigers, Penrith Panthers, Sydney Roosters and Newcastle Knights. It also counts the NRL and Parramatta Stadium among its clients.
Mr Chamoun runs the company out of an office in Petersham.
The Sharks open their NRL season on Sunday night with a home clash against the Gold Coast Titans. They were listed as one of the pre-season favourites for the premiership in 2013 but the major setbacks suffered over the past week will be a huge hurdle to overcome to break the club's long-running title drought.
innsaneink
Well-known member
Threads everywhere on this ….four by now my count
Demonborger
New member
I think keep all Cronulla stuff in the big thread in the nRL forum and use the thread in the tigers forum to discuss how this will affect us
AmericanHistoryX
Well-known member
@Demonborger said:
x2
@happy tiger said:
They've got bigger issues than those two. Read some of those transcripts from the Danny Wicks investigation if they're still available.
happy_tiger
Well-known member
I still reckon the Sharks will win tonight
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