Bombers set for fight as charges loom

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Fight ... Bombers players will try to keep their minds on the football. Source: Michael Dodge / Getty Images

ESSENDON expects to be charged by the AFL within days but the Bombers will take on the league if it tries to ban them from the finals.

The Bombers expect they will be heavily punished for bringing the game into disrepute over their controversial 2012 supplements program.

This is despite the fact the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) investigation into the club is yet to be completed and there are no infraction notices issued against any players.

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The AFL has the power to strip the club of its premiership points and draft selections.

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Club staff, including coach James Hird, could also be charged and face suspension.

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Adelaide legend Mark Ricciuto this week was adamant that James Hird would be forced to stand down by Thursday, but late last night Essendon was adamant there was no move against the coach.

The Hird camp said the Bombers legend had no intention to stand down.

Essendon will strongly argue that they should not lose their right to play in September because the players have not been found guilty in the interim report.

Bombers chairman Paul Little said the club would be "working as hard as we can to ensure that our natural justice and rights are being protected".

Another club figure said: "The punishment must fit the crime".

But it is open to the AFL to penalise Essendon over the club's lack of control and lax oversight of its drugs program.

The club could also be punished by the league for putting the health of the players at risk.

The club's own internal review of its 2012 practices compiled by Ziggy Switkowski found the Bombers failed their duty of management and governance and lost control of the football department.

"This combined to create a picture of a pharmacologically experimental environment never adequately controlled or challenged or documented," Switkowski said.

AFL general counsel Andrew Dillon has the task of deciding whether to charge Essendon and/or its officials but the league would not forecast any move against the Bombers.

The AFL Commission is due to meet on Monday, and again on August 26 - days before the start of the finals.

Any attempts to suspend Hird and other club figures, including doctors, will also be vigorously fought by the Bombers and the individuals' legal teams.

It was alleged in April that Hird was injected with the banned drug Hexarelin by the club's former sports scientist Stephen Dank, which Hird denied.

Sources said the 400-page interim ASADA report did not substantiate the allegation.

Little said the club would be seeking confirmation from the AFL that its players had been cleared of using banned drugs in the ASADA report.

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"Part of the frustration that is now brought to the table by the interim nature of the report is that we don't know what are the workings required, how long that may take and the pain goes on for the club," he said.

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"We remain confident that our players haven't done anything wrong ."

AFL chief Andrew Demetriou returned from the US and angrily denied claims by Bombers great Tim Watson that the AFL had already decided to strip Essendon of premiership points.

"It's just offensive and it's completely wrong," Demetriou said.

Hird's legal team was given a copy of the interim report on Tuesday night.

IN THE GUN AT ESSENDON

James Hird (coach): Declared on February 5 that he would take "full responsibility'' for the club's supplements program. Accused of being injected by Stephen Dank with substances banned for players. Has steadfastly protested his innocence.

Dr Bruce Reid (club doctor): Sent a letter in January 2012 detailing his concerns about the supplements program. The letter never got to the club's board. Yet to see the ASADA report.

Danny Corcoran (football general manager): Absent for three months in late 2011 and early 2012 after the death of his wife. Took a hands-on role in the football department midway through last season.

LAWYERS AT 10 PACES

With the Essendon supplements scandal reaching its climax the Bombers, and under-fi re coach James Hird, are preparing themselves for a bitter legal and public relations battle, engaging the best minds in the country.

TEAM HIRD
Steven Amendola - Ashurst industrial law expert leading Hird's defence.
Julian Burnside, QC - renowned human rights lawyer engaged in recent weeks.
Nick Harrington - a barrister friend of Hird who recommended Ashurst.
Ian Hanke - veteran political spin doctor who worked with Amendola on the 1998 waterfront dispute.

TEAM ESSENDON
Jack Rush, QC - St Kilda board member who was counsel assisting the Black Saturday Royal Commission. Hired in recent weeks.
Tony Hargreaves - leading criminal lawyer engaged by the Bombers at the start of the scandal.
The Shannon Company - communications firm with strong Victorian Labor links hired to replace crisis manager Elizabeth Lukin last week.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
* AFL general counsel Andrew Dillon decides whether to lay charges against Essendon, its officials or players under AFL Player Rules. Rule 1.6.1 reads: "A person must not engage in conduct which is unbecoming or likely to prejudice the interests or reputation of the AFL or to bring the game of football into disrepute.''

Rule 1.5A reads: "Either or both the Commission and the General Manager Football Operations shall ... have the power in their discretion ... to impose any sanction on any person contravening the AFL rules and regulations on any terms or conditions seen fit or to otherwise deal with such matter in any manner they in their absolute discretion think fit.''

* If charges are laid, Essendon would be given time to prepare a response, which may include written submissions.

* AFL Commission would hear the charges and Essendon's defence and would then decide guilt and penalty.

* Penalties could include loss of premiership points, stripping of draft picks and fines.

* Club officials also face sanctions if deemed appropriate by the commission.

Compiled by: MICHAEL WARNER and GRANT BAKER

22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

All Stars cancelled as Nines is born

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Indigenous All Star Rugby league players Johnathan Thurston and Greg Inglis. Source:News Limited

THE NRL is refusing to concede the annual NRL Indigenous All Stars clash is dead - despite the concept being sacrificed next season, just four years after its inception.

All Stars coach Wayne Bennett has been asked to join the NRL at a press conference on Thursday to announce a major overhaul of next year's pre-season.

It will see the inclusion of an inaugural NRL Nines event in Auckland which, despite its $2.2 million prizemoney, has been criticised by Penrith general manager Phil Gould.

Rugby league's end-of-year World Cup, which concludes with the final on November 30, has led to the All Stars, which is usually held in the second week of February, being squeezed from next year's pre-season.

More than 100 NRL players from Australia, New Zealand, England, Papua New Guinea, Italy, Tonga and the Cook Islands will play at the World Cup. 

An email obtained by The Daily Telegraph detailing the 2014 pre-season calendar and a subsequent phone hook-up of all 16 clubs yesterday confirmed the overhaul.

The fear of forcing the game's elite, including World Cup certainties Greg Inglis, Cameron Smith, Johnathan Thurston, Billy Slater, Sam Burgess, Kieran Foran and Shaun Johnson, into making themselves available for the All Stars just eight weeks after the World Cup was the main reason behind the NRL's decision to scrap the annual exhibition match.

The NRL considered persisting with the All Stars concept next year without using the best players, but felt the integrity of the match would be damaged and have suspended it until 2015.

The inclusion of the lucrative Nines, which is set for the weekend of February 15 at Eden Park in Auckland, was the final nail in the All Stars' coffin.

Instead, the NRL is planning to continue the All Stars theme by working within the indigenous community through a series of camps and a one-off match in Newcastle between the best under-20 indigenous players.

Those closest to the All Stars concept, including the brainchild behind the tournament, former NRL star Preston Campbell, and Indigenous All Stars coach Laurie Daley, said they could appreciate the stance taken by the NRL.

"With the World Cup, I assumed the boys would back up but when I went away and looked at it, it is a big ask for them and we don't want them to burn out. They need their rest," Campbell said. "It is a big ask."

Daley, who has coached the Indigenous side for the past three years, said there was no point playing the All Stars if the game's best weren't available.

"If that's the decision that is going to be made, it's obviously disappointing," Daley said.

"But having said that, you can't play the All Stars and have your best players not there. It's a fair decision and they'll still go ahead with the week's activities and cultural aspects and camps, and that will be good."

The Nines will see all 16 clubs represented, with every team picking up a minimum $90,000 in prizemoney. The winner will pocket $450,000.

The Nines concept will be funded by promoter Dean Lonergan, but it has already run into criticism from Gould.

"The Sevens, or Nines, or whatever it is they want to propose, holds no interest for me whatsoever," Gould said.

"I think it's a cheap gimmick. I think it's an over-use of our players. I think it is an abuse of the players' profiles."

22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Potter to be punted by Tigers

Wests Tigers coach Mick Potter. Source: Mark Evans / News Limited

Feuding? ... Benji Marshall and coach Mick Potter are reportedly not getting along. Source: Gregg Porteous / News Limited

New man ... Mick Potter has plenty to fix at the Tigers. Source: Brett Costello / News Limited

WESTS Tigers coach Mick Potter is poised to be tapped on the shoulder at the end of the season after losing the support of key personnel in the dressing room.

Despite being only 19 games into a two-year contract believed to be worth $250,000-a-season, The Daily Telegraph understands Potter will have the final year of his contract terminated at the end of round 26.

The Daily Telegraph can reveal newly appointed Tigers chief executive Grant Mayer held a meeting with club chairman Mike Bailey and deputy chairman Nick DiGirolamo on Wednesday where the club's coaching structure was top of the agenda.

In a bizarre scenario, the Tigers will now effectively be paying three head coaches next season after ending Tim Sheens' contract last September.

By the time they hire a new coach, the joint venture club will be bank-rolling payments to Sheens, who is on $8650 per week, Potter and whoever they go with as a replacement.

Feuding? ... Benji Marshall and coach Mick Potter are reportedly not getting along.

"We had a meeting yesterday morning about a whole range of issues including my contract, our venue hiring deals and a range of other club issues," Mayer said.

"In regards to any speculation in relation to our coaching structure that is not for me to answer. We have a game against Parramatta on Friday night and our sole focus is to win that game."

The Daily Telegraph reported last month how the Tigers entire football department was undergoing a full review, which has included Mayer conducting interviews with the club's playing roster.

Mayer was instructed to conduct the review at the behest of the joint venture board, who are yet to vote on Potter's future at the club.

New man ... Mick Potter has plenty to fix at the Tigers.

The Daily Telegraph understands a number of key boardroom figures have been aware of discontent with Potter's tenure for a number of months.

Significantly, one of the key findings of the Tigers football department review has been the lack of support for Potter in terms of his coaching style and communication skills among the playing group.

The Sunday Telegraph initially reported some elements of the Tigers board were sharpening the knives on Potter after the club's 22-4 victory over premiers Melbourne in round 16, when his widening rift with star player Benji Marshall was inching closer to breaking point.

The fact Marshall is exiting the club for rugby union has had little influence on Potter's job security.

The victory over the premiers bought Potter a short window of breathing room, which has since been slammed shut by four straight losses to Cronulla, the Warriors, Manly and Gold Coast.

Compounding Potter's record of six wins and 13 losses this season is the club's record seven losses in a row endured from round four to round 10, which was the same week the rookie coach made the brave call to bench star playmaker Marshall.

For Potter to be shown the door at the end of the season, the Tigers 10-member board, which is notoriously split five-five along Wests and Balmain voting lines, need to vote unanimously to cut his tenure short.

The Daily Telegraph understands Potter's contract had a trigger clause for a third season if the Tigers had made the top eight, but with the club poised to finish second last, it is no hope of being activated.

Potter has made some of the tough calls necessary at the Tigers but has been unable to replicate success of fellow rookie coaches Trent Robinson at the Roosters and Michael Maguire at South Sydney.

The Daily Telegraph understands Tigers under-20s coach Todd Payten will be promoted to the role of NRL assistant coach next season to work with whoever the club's board decides to hand the top job.

Penrith assistant coach Trent Barrett has been linked to the job.

22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Sterlo: Kiwis formidable foes

New Zealand Kiwis Test team perform the Haka. Source: Gregg Porteous / News Limited

IN 2008 Benji Marshall provided the magic in guiding New Zealand to an upset World Cup victory over Australia.

At the peak of his powers he was the catalyst to the Kiwis pulling off one of the game's great upsets.

Since then the one burning frustration felt by national coach Tim Sheens and his Kangaroos is that despite their domination of international rugby league they do not carry the "official" title of world champions.

Although they have won just one of 11 Tests against the Aussies since that World Cup, New Zealand maintain the title based on that victory in 2008.

It has been a long wait for redemption for the green and golds but in a few months they will finally get their chance to rectify the situation.

However, while they have proven almost unbeatable in recent years, it seems to me that if they are to capture the World Cup crown at the end of the year in England, they will need to produce their very best.

New Zealand are poised to mount a fierce defence and while it will not be Benji leading the fight, the likes of Sonny, Shaun, Kieran and co. will relish taking on the might of the Australians.

In fact if current form is maintained they will go in with a squad that includes some of the standout players of this year's premiership.

Jared Waerea-Hargreaves has been the competition's most intimidating forward and while he walks a fine line, he is generally controlled aggression. As the spearhead of an outstanding Roosters front six, the front-rower takes great delight in making the early exchanges a personal contest.

He has the best body language of any of the game's forwards and makes it crystal clear that if you run his way, you will be accommodated.

Waerea-Hargreaves' game is up-tempo and that gives his team every opportunity to grab early momentum on the back of his charges.

Kieran Foran has been the competition's most consistent and effective ball-player and despite his relative youth, plays with a remarkable degree of maturity.

He is a pure footballer who plays aggressively without self-preservation, yet has the silky skills to put a teammate away with the deftest of touches.

It was no surprise that in the April Test he was handed the captaincy following the withdrawal of Simon Mannering because he has always played like a leader.

Roger Tuivasa-Sheck has been the competition's most elusive ball-runner with a swag of defenders still wondering which way he went.

We have seen many players with great footwork over the years but this young man possesses moves that are unique. Will-o'-the-wisp doesn't do him justice. 

He was given a taste of being in the Kiwis squad in Canberra and with another half season under his belt, he will be even more ready for the step up.

Finally there is Sonny Bill Williams who has been the competition's most complete package this year. There was never any doubt that his return to the game would be successful, it was just a matter of to what degree.

Sonny plays with an aura of complete confidence and backs this up with a game that includes power, pace, vision, skill and execution.

However what I find really appealing is the lack of selfishness in his performance, it is all about making it easier for those around him.

Even his quieter games are full of quality. 

These players will be surrounded by the strongest group of New Zealand talent that I have seen and the following side would be formidable opposition.

At the back, two speedy youngsters in Josh Hoffman and Kevin Locke will battle for the No.1 jersey.

With Sheck on one wing, Manu Vatuvei monsters his way on to the other.

Selectors could go with the safer option of Jason Nightingale or Sam Perrett but to beat Australia you can't go safe. Steve Matai at left centre will be at home running off Manly teammate Foran while the Roosters' partnership of Shaun Kenny-Dowall and Sheck would occupy the right.

Foran and Shaun Johnson pick themselves in the halves and while the latter was off his game on the weekend against the Sharks, he has shown this season his sheer speed and footwork will worry any team.

A back-row of Williams, Mannering and Alex Glenn is mobile with a great work ethic.

While a starting front-row of Waerea-Hargreaves, Issac Luke and Ben Matulino is equally impressive and most definitely tough enough.

The real strength of any team is demonstrated by their bench and the Kiwis will have a choice including Frank Pritchard, Kevin Proctor, Elijah Taylor, Tohu Harris, Greg Eastwood, Jessie Bromwich, Sika Manu, Konrad Hurrell, Thomas Leuluai, Sam Kasiano and others I'm sure to have overlooked.

Fourteen teams will contest this year's World Cup but it will be Australia and New Zealand who will contest the final at Old Trafford on November 30.

The winner will be deserved champions and if the Aussies are to reign supreme, coach Sheens will have certainly earned his money.

22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

NRL 360: A tale of two halfbacks

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Up and Down ... Adam Reynolds and Mitch Pearce have a change of fortunes. Source:FoxSports

TWO halfbacks walked on the field last weekend, two very different halfbacks walked off it. Two halfbacks with it all at stake.

One plays for a future already written, the other to rewrite his past.

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Only one will prevail.

Adam Reynolds ran on the field Saturday night with South Sydney - the competition leader - a position the Rabbitohs have held most of the year.

The Dally M Rookie of the Year, his second season was holding up whatever scrutiny the award brought him, and it always brings some.

Yet 80 minutes later Reynolds limped off, slightly injured, with the work ahead of him. John Sutton was in the dressing room with ice on an ankle that looked like it had a water balloon attached to the side.

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Two to four weeks, they said about Sutton.

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Join Paul Kent and Ben Ikin live on Wednesday at 7.30pm for NRL 360 on Fox Sports

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Reynolds got the all clear, but Greg Inglis was still injured and not due back until just before the playoffs.

The Rabbitohs' spine, as they call it, was cut in half.

The night before, after the Sydney Roosters killed off Penrith, Pearce stood next to Brad Fittler to get his man of the match award.

Second question, Fittler asked what was learned from the Origin loss.

"For me, personally, I've learned just to try to come up with better last plays," Pearce said.

"Me and Jimmy [Maloney], it probably wasn't the best in the first half but that's a big focus for me.

"Just to pull myself out of play sometimes and just think my way around the field a bit more.

"Know when the team needs a restart or a good kick down field, just to build a bit of pressure.

"It's a work in progress but I have been working hard at it since I got back."

Reynolds and Pearce have battled all year, since NSW coach Laurie Daley declared in his newspaper column that Pearce was his NSW halfback come hail, as it eventually did, or shine.

Some believed his time was up.

They believed Reynolds was ready.

Some believed Pearce was on his last chance.

They want Reynolds to replace him.

They put blame for NSW's loss at Pearce's feet, and it was nothing of the sort.

When Pearce returned to the Roosters he resumed a conversation he started with coach Trent Robinson the first time they sat together after Robinson took the job.

The irony of Pearce's career is that, for all the boy-most-likely tags attached early on, he has never been properly taught how to play halfback.

While the tools are all there, the running and passing, the subtlety, the key to the good halfbacks is game management, last play kicking, playing to the team's structures.

The chief criticism of Pearce through Origin was an inability to close a set, which happens to be Reynolds' great strength.

Polish, they say.

Robinson listened to the criticism and realised, while not right, it wasn't completely invalid.

"You don't get those opportunities to really have a look at the essence of a guy's decision making until they get to the top end," he said yesterday.

So his education with Pearce continues

Two halfbacks, two directions.

Pearce walked off man of the match match with the Roosters now sharing equal first spot, ahead on percentages.

The following night they held it when Sutton limped off and the Rabbitohs went down to North Queensland.

The loss was significant for more than the change in competition ladder.

It brings us back to the debate Daley started before round one, and might cause some to reassess their .

Sutton has been Reynolds great foil throughout the season, the creative playmaker in the Rabbitohs line-up. It allowed Reynolds to take himself out of sets until he needed to bring the polish others talk about.

For years Pearce has tried to do both roles, now Reynolds will now to accept a greater role in the Rabbitohs playmaking.

There is no reason he can't do it, but it will certainly be tougher.

The finals are also nearing and, while Sutton and Inglis will be back in the side, finals football brings a pressure some might call Origin-like.

It's different.

Rabbitohs coach Michael Maguire knows the change ahead, and is gearing Reynolds for it.

"We talk about things all the time," he said.

"Situations in games, when to put plays on, we're always talking about scenarios, what happens.

"But he likes his footy so he tends to come to me about a umber of things, too."

Rightly or wrongly, Pearce, 24, and Reynolds, 23, have become attached this season and could remain that way the rest of their careers.

They are in charge of the best two teams in the competition, and it starts now.

22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Hird set to lay eyes on ASADA report

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Saga ... James Hird's coaching career could ride on the ASADA interim report. Source: Michael Dodge / Getty Images

JAMES Hird will today lay eyes on the drugs report that could derail his coaching career as new details emerge of the pressure on him in April to stand down.

It is understood Essendon's crisis manager Elizabeth Lukin spoke to Hird in Perth by phone on the eve of the club's Round 3 match against Fremantle.

The pair discussed the growing crisis amid intense speculation on his future.

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It was the second time in two days Hird felt pressure from figures connected to the club to step aside.

Lukin would not comment on the phone call on Tuesday night.

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Hird's lawyers were on Tuesday given access to the 400-page Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) interim report into Essendon's 2012 supplements program.

Hird was due to read the report on Wednesday.

AFL general counsel Andrew Dillon has the task of deciding whether to charge Essendon and/or club officials over the supplements scandal.

Essendon and individuals would be given up to two weeks to respond, with the AFL Commission the final authority.

The Commission is due to meet this month on Monday, and again on August 26.

Hird has maintained he has done nothing wrong but if the Commission finds otherwise, he could be suspended from the AFL.

It was revealed yesterday Hird's lawyer, Tony Nolan SC, was contacted by another lawyer, Tony Hargreaves, on Wednesday, April 10. Hird was advised to consider his position.

Hargreaves is working for Essendon but insisted this week he did not pass on a message under instructions from Essendon or the club's board.

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Lukin and Hird spoke on the telephone the next day.

The following day, AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou said on 3AW that stepping down was something the Bombers coach should consider.

"As he goes through his thought process ... that is an option he has to consider," Demetriou said.

Hird was still a week away from facing ASADA investigators.

Lukin, a public relations expert, was hired by the Bombers in February to help steer the club through the drugs crisis.

She was present in the AFL boardroom on the morning of February 5 when club chiefs met with the AFL to discuss plans to hold a press conference to explain why the club had "self-reported" to the league and ASADA.

Lukin had previously advised Essendon.

Her other clients have included West Coast during the Ben Cousins drugs saga and senior AFL figures, including Demetriou.

"My five years experience providing issues management advice for AFL leaders Wayne Jackson and Andrew Demetriou has underlined to me how important it is to protect their reputations while managing their campaigns," Lukin says in one online profile.

After Essendon chairman David Evans resigned 12 days ago, Lukin parted ways with the club.

22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Watmough phone held by Customs

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Consficated ... Watmough is the second NRL star to have his phone seized by Customs. Source: Sam Ruttyn / News Limited

ANTHONY Watmough has emerged as the second NRL player to have his phone temporarily seized by Customs, following revelations Sharks skipper Paul Gallen was also stopped at Sydney airport on Sunday.

Border protection agents detained Gallen long enough for him to miss the team bus back to Cronulla and confiscated his phone for a period of time.

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Gallen was returning from Auckland, where his team had defeated the New Zealand Warriors a day earlier.

The Daily Telegraph can also reveal Watmough's phone was examined in similar circumstances when Manly returned across the Tasman after their round 13 clash against New Zealand.

Both players have received interview notices in relation to ASADA's drugs-in-sport probe, but government officials would not confirm nor deny whether the phone seizures were connected to the current investigation.

A Customs spokeswoman said the agency could not comment about individual passengers, while ASADA simply refused to comment at all.

It's believed Customs was acting at the behest of another federal agency.

The Australian Crime Commission compiled the explosive report that ASADA has used as a road map for its entire investigation.

Manly boss David Perry did not return calls last night, while a Sea Eagles spokesman denied knowing Watmough's phone had been taken.

Watmough's management also said it was unaware of the temporary seizure. Gallen did not return calls.

Several other media outlets reported that Gallen had denied his phone had been seized, but the NSW Origin star is yet to speak about the incident first hand.

A Sharks spokesman could only confirm Gallen was subjected to a "more vigorous" search, which delayed the team bus. ASADA is already in possession of hundreds of text messages from a phone belonging to Steve Dank, the sports scientist at the centre of its investigation.

Some of those texts involve conversations with Gallen. Both Dank and Gallen have denied any wrongdoingwith the Sharks skipper expressing his frustration over being the highest-profile player implicated in the ASADA investigation. 

22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Don't end our season: Sharks

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Sharks ... faced disqualification from the NRL competition. Source: Brett Costello / News Limited

CRONULLA officials were in frantic negotiations with the NRL to avoid the prospect of disqualification just a month after the ASADA investigation was launched.

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The Daily Telegraph has sighted correspondence between Sharks officials and NRL boss Dave Smith, which revealed the club's desire to stand down all affected coaching staff and players prior to round one.

Cronulla were of a belief that if any of the affected persons were later found guilty of an anti-doping violation, the club could be exposed to retrospective loss of competition points or wholesale disqualification.

The Sharks even went as far as to seek assurances from Smith against any such penalties.

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"On the basis this is achieved and the ASADA affected players are removed from or playing ranks, then it is in the best interests of rehabilitation of the club that we obtain an assurance from the NRL that season 2013 will not be subject of future penalties or sanctions arising from this matter," the Sharks wrote in early March.

"We seek this assurance from the NRL in advance of (round one) so it can be communicated to our supporters and season seat holders."

The secret negotiations have emerged as the AFL considers whether to disqualify Essendon prior to the finals.

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The NRL last night confirmed all options were being entertained, but that no decision would be made until ASADA finalises its report into the Sharks.

Interviews with 11 Cronulla players over the club's 2011 supplement program only re-commenced yesterday and won't be completed until August 28.

The NRL finals start a fortnight later, meaning there's virtually zero chance that any findings into Cronulla will be made before the season's biggest games.

Currently sixth, the Sharks need just two wins from their remaining five matches to be assure a top eight finish.

But a disturbing can of worms could be opened should ASADA find any coaching staff or players guilty of anti-doping violations that support a case of systemic drug use at the club in 2011.

Under that scenario, the NRL would be under enormous pressure to not issue infraction notices against individuals but only penalise the club as a whole.

And because the penalty would be applied retrospectively, it would come as no consolation to the ninth-placed team that missed-out or any sides that Cronulla might eliminate during the finals series itself.

Over the past week, Cronulla has done little to endear itself to the NRL.

The club's new board re-instated sacked trainer Mark Noakes against Smith's wishes, while skipper Paul Gallen this week bemoaned the level of support from the NRL.

NRL insiders found Gallen's comments curious, given he recently engaged an independent lawyer. The NRL claims it has been helping Cronulla fund the players' legal representative, Richard Redman.

But the NRL has otherwise kept a much greater distance from the ASADA probe than their AFL counterparts in Melbourne.

First, the AFL and ASADA reached a written understanding that contemplated Essendon players escaping ban under the "No Fault or Negligence" defence.

Smith was furious when he learned of the unilateral negotiations, which were immediately ceased in favour of a set of equal conditions for both codes.

Next, the AFL has attended all ASADA interviews while the NRL was not present when Sharks back rower Wade Graham was questioned in April. That absence has now been addressed for the second round of interviews.

But the most striking difference is the timing.

The deliverance of the interim findings into Essendon has given AFL boss Andrew Demetriou an entire month to decide Essendon's fate, while keeping in mind the sanctity of his code's finals series.

Because their clubs and players failed to co-operate the first time around, Smith and the NRL don't enjoy the same luxury.

22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Tigers prepare to dump Benji

Benji Marshall's Tigers career might come to a premature end. Source: Brett Costello / News Limited

BENJI Marshall's career at the Wests Tigers could come to a premature end on Tuesday as the club moves to make way for boom teenage halfback Luke Brooks to make his debut against Parramatta on Friday night.

In what is shaping as a watershed week for the struggling club, the Tigers will officially ask the NRL for a second-tier salary cap exemption so they can name Brooks on Tuesday.

The club will also seek permission to name Jarred Farlow to replace Robbie Farah after the inspirational skipper was on Monday ruled out for two weeks with a hand injury.

But debate over Marshall's future will overshadow everything else after another disastrous showing in Sunday's heavy loss to the Gold Coast.

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Marshall had two runs for a total of 11m - and his effort had plenty questioning if his heart was still at the Tigers given his imminent switch to Super Rugby.

Over the past month, Marshall's form has got progressively worse.

He was also criticised for making a rushed trip to New Zealand last week to talk to the Auckland Blues just days before the game on the Gold Coast.

Marshall is expected to make his signing with the Blues official in the coming days.

Potter caused a furore when he benched Marshall for the round 10 clash against South Sydney but most critics of that decision would now agree Marshall's form no longer justifies his place in the team.

The only thing saving Marshall from an inglorious end to his NRL career is his reputation.

It would be a massive decision for Potter to dump the superstar with only five weeks left in the regular season and Marshall four games short of 200 matches for the Tigers.

Marshall has given great service to the club but his form this year, and especially in the past month, justifies the club's decision to let him walk out on the final two years of his contract.

A key reason the Tigers couldn't afford to keep Marshall on the $1 million-a-year handshake agreement he had with former chief executive Stephen Humphreys until the end of 2017 was the emergence of Brooks and Mitchell Moses, who both recently agreed to extended deals.

The Tigers have now lost their past four games and Friday night's clash against the last-placed Eels is shaping up as a wooden-spoon shootout.

Potter said Brooks's time had arrived. Asked if the 18-year-old was ready for the NRL, Potter said: "I think so. He has proven himself in State Cup and he is doing a great job for the under-20s.

"I don't think that there is any doubt that he needs to be challenged at this level.

"It is the next stage in his development, so we will go through the process and see what happens."

Potter could still name Marshall at five-eighth or start Curtis Sironen alongside Brooks, given they are the most likely pairing for next year.

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The Tigers are on the limit of their second-tier salary cap as a result of the club's shocking run of injuries.

While the second-tier salary cap is designed to stop the richer clubs stockpiling the best talent, Brooks is a local junior who played for the Leichhardt Wanderers and went to school at Holy Cross Ryde.

"They put these rules in place to try and protect the game and I understand that, but he is a local junior and it makes sense to let him play," Potter said.

"We have to have one eye on next year and both eyes on trying to win the next game. We have to name a team that is capable of doing that.

"There is no doubt it would be great for the surrounding district that (Brooks) comes through and gets his shot at first grade and that will help him for the future.

"I just want him to get a couple of games before the end of the year and get a sniff of what it is like." 

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Sutton out for up to a month

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John Sutton of the Rabbitohs runs the ball. Source: Ian Hitchcock / Getty Images

SOUTH Sydney Rabbitohs five-eighth John Sutton will miss two to four weeks of football after spraining his left ankle in last Saturday night's loss to the North Queensland Cowboys.

Scans on Monday confirmed that Sutton will join Greg Inglis on the sidelines as the club slipped to second on the ladder following Saturday's 30-12 loss.

The injury occurred in the 36th minute of the match but according to Rabbitohs Head Coach Michael Maguire, the club will be able to cover for the playmaker while he heals.

"John will be missed but we know he will manage his injury professionally and our medical team will work with him to have him return to the field as soon as possible in the best shape possible," Maguire said. 

"We'll announce our team tomorrow, but Luke Keary has done a good job coming on as a replacement at five-eighth in recent weeks and we're confident in his ability to get the job done while John is on the sidelines."

Souths have lost two of their past three games and face rampaging Melbourne on Friday night at AAMI Park.

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