If we win it, it's ours: Flanagan bullish about ASADA spectre
Shane Flanagan has made the audacious claim the Sharks will deserve the premiership if they win it, despite fears they could be stripped following the ASADA probe.
Echoing the call of Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy after his side had two premierships revoked for systematic rorting of the salary cap, Flanagan insisted any possible doping breaches in 2011 would have no influence on his side's tilt at a breakthrough premiership. The Sharks have not won the competition since their first season in 1967.
''If we win it, it's ours,'' Flanagan said before Friday night's semi-final against Manly at Allianz Stadium. ''They can take it off us, but from my point of view and the players, it will be our premiership. Speaking to Melbourne, they felt like they won it. If we get there and win the game, we've won the game. Anything that happened in 2011 has no impact on what happens on grand final day in 2013.''
The remarks are sure to bemuse those who believe the Sharks should not be playing in this year's finals series like AFL counterparts Essendon, who also engaged discredited sports scientist Stephen Dank last year.
Fairfax Media reported this week some Sharks board members believe they received assurances from the NRL earlier this year that the premiership would stand if ASADA found no Sharks players used banned peptides beyond 2011. But Flanagan said he and the players were not aware of such a promise. ''We were told at the start of the year some players wouldn't start the season,'' he said. ''Here we are, three weeks from the grand final, and nothing has been resolved.''
While there is much speculation about his future, Flanagan said he wanted to secure a long-term deal at the club. He is contracted until the end of 2014, but said he wanted to be re-signed before the end of the ASADA investigation and any possible grand final appearance.
''I want to do it all before that,'' he said. ''That [the ASADA investigation] is not going to have any impact on me in the end. I'm focused on the next couple of weeks so if we can get something sorted out I'd be over. I've started something here and I'd like to finish it. I'd like to think we can get there this year but if we can't the next two or three years are going to be very similar to this year. With a bit of luck, we can have the same success, if not more.
''[There are no negotiations] as yet but I'd like to get that done sooner rather than later. I've got pride in what I've done, the players have done and the coaching staff has done. Management have worked really hard this year and we can see the light at the end of the tunnel now. Before it wasn't even on.''
Flanagan conceded that he has considered walking away from the club amid the most troubled time in its turbulent history. ''Some days I wonder if it's all worthwhile, walk away, start again somewhere,'' he said. ''If it wasn't for [new chief executive] Steve Noyce, I couldn't have handled it on my own.
''I feel a lot of pain. It's hard for us to go out and tell the story, because we can't at this stage. We can't come out and say exactly what happened. The most hurtful thing for me is that I know I've done nothing wrong and I've never been involved in anything like that. I get accused of that, and it ruins my reputation.
''I've got young kids. For them to hear their father is getting accused of being associated with ElephantJuice, that's just disgusting.'
if you stuck around for the second game last week you would have seen Manly play we a certain intensity, they're quicker than us and have it over us in the outside backs. I would fancy our chances in week 3 more so...What is key to winning this week is moving up quickly in defence and stopping the ball from getting to their backs.
