Sharks cap superthread - latest: NRL clears Flanagan to assistant coach from 2020

[Diesel]

poor Buzz is looking for sympathy

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/s...a/news-story/2b897041f34cd350573b6f6341892b36

Cronulla Sharks salary cap scandal: Buzz Rothfield on the pain of investigating his beloved Cronulla

Phil Rothfield Sports editor-at-large, Member No. 111, The Daily Telegraph
an hour ago


THIS is one of the hardest stories I’ve had to write in 42 years as a sports writer.

Most readers of this newspaper would be aware I am a Cronulla Sharks tragic.

A season ticket holder, member and fanatical fan.

I have been since I covered the Sharks’ 1978 grand final replay against Manly on a Tuesday afternoon at the Sydney Cricket Ground and walked away thinking they were hard done by.

In this gig it can be difficult having such an emotional investment in a footy team.

You go there every week to cheer your lungs out, boo the referee over a pie and beer.

Shark Park is my second home.

In this business though you have to treat every story on its merit.

When our front-rower and 2016 grand final hero Andrew Fifita abused a junior referee two years ago I broke the story and exposed him.

When Josh Dugan got thrown out of Cronulla RSL earlier this year for swearing in front of women I wrote about it.

Then there was the peptides, a story we couldn’t ignore.

Or when our chairman Damian Keogh was busted for possessing cocaine.

Now this potential salary cap scandal.

We got a tip-off on Tuesday morning.

My immediate thoughts are the newspaper and our website.

You start gathering the details, hit the keyboard and type it out.

It’s when the guilt hits home and you start to question yourself.

Should I have passed on the story to another colleague to write to stay sweet with the players, the coaches and the officials, many of whom are friends?

Yet at the end of the day it’s what we do.

Shane Flanagan chases two competition points every week as relentlessly as I chase stories.

I’m worried this one might have an effect on our finals campaign and what sort of disruptions it may cause.

Still, if I hadn’t have written it, someone else would have. And whether you like it or not, it’s my job.

This is a paid advertisement by the AFL

 

[Generalzod]

Swearing in front of women lol Slothfield should get out more often.

 

[Stephen 'Stevo' Stevenson]

This makes me sick.

Why should I, as a supporter of a club that has never broken the salary cap, keep supporting this competition if scum low-life clubs are allowed to continually disregard the rules?

 

[Someguy]

Get over it everyone it only affects the years they were doping so they were already ineligible for anything those seasons anyways. My guess is they have done the sums and the costs to supply and administer PEDs have been calculated into the cap. Nothing to see here.

 

[alexwilliams_66692007]

Sharps have made the front and back page!


I love a good pun

 

[Zerô]

What do you reckon Freddie said to Usain Bolt?

 

[Generalzod]

This makes me sick.

Why should I, as a supporter of a club that has never broken the salary cap, keep supporting this competition if scum low-life clubs are allowed to continually disregard the rules?

Geez at one stage there I thought you where talking about the Roosters lol

 

[Cherry_poppins]

Sharks cheating again

Relocation to Cape town is the only option

 

[Generalzod]

I guess the Telegraph got pretty upset that Dutton didn’t make it to the Lodge lol

 

[Generalzod]

Sharks cheating again

Relocation to Cape town is the only option

Lots of Sharks there

 

[Differ To The Coifed]

The telegraph front and back page. For the self reporting the Tele is a massive embarrassment. My god they sky is falling. Check it out

 

[Cherry_poppins]

Lots of Sharks there

That's why it's a prime candidate for the sharks

Hope Fatfita can surf with captain peptide

 

[Stephen 'Stevo' Stevenson]

Geez at one stage there I thought you where talking about the Roosters lol

Why would I be talking about the Roosters?

We've never been found guilty of a major salary cap breach, therefore we are innocent when it comes to operating under the rules provided to us by the NRL.

I suppose I shouldn't be getting so upset about this, I should really just accept the fact that our competition has some good, honest clubs, like the Roosters and Broncos that don't break the rules, but we have many slimy, filthy clubs like the Dogs, Warriors, Storm, Eels, Eagles and possibly the Sharks who think that they're above the law.

 

[Differ To The Coifed]

Report the story sure but those news paper pages are off the charts.

 

[Generalzod]

Why would I be talking about the Roosters?

We've never been found guilty of a major salary cap breach, therefore we are innocent when it comes to operating under the rules provided to us by the NRL.

I suppose I shouldn't be getting so upset about this, I should really just accept the fact that our competition has some good, honest clubs, like the Roosters and Broncos that don't break the rules, but we have many slimy, filthy clubs like the Dogs, Warriors, Storm, Eels, Eagles and possibly the Sharks who think that they're above the law.

Good honest clubs like the Roosters and Broncos lol

 

[Generalzod]

That's why it's a prime candidate for the sharks

Hope Fatfita can surf with captain peptide

He most certainly can cherry blossom

 

[gitano]

Just kick em out and be done with it. Disgraceful organisation. Very very disgraceful

 

[Generalzod]

Just kick em out and be done with it. Disgraceful organisation. Very very disgraceful

Are you talking about St. George’s effort on the weekend ?

 

[gitano]

Are you talking about St. George’s effort on the weekend ?

No. The thread title should help you out.

 

[Danish]

How the f**k does RL continue to have these issues?
NO OTHER CODE WITH A CAP DOES THIS EVERY f**kING YEAR


The system does not work. Burn it to the ground and start again.

More like we are the only code stupid enough to actually care about salary cap breaches, over and above protecting the image of the game.

Take the NFL, for example. No one ever questions the supposed fact that Tom Brady has just happily accepted middling QB money his entire career. The NFL also doesn’t bother to set its salary cap based on what the poorest team can afford to dish out. It’s linked purely to revenue of the code.

Few sporting organisations in the world try as hard as the NRL to stop money being invested in their game