http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...l-scarred-sharks/story-fni3fh9n-1226645675136
THE drugs don't work. English rock band The Verve once sung that. They mightn't work - peptides included - but the drugs are tearing poor old Cronulla in two.
We are told there is a natural divide forming between the players over the issue - those who were there in 2011 when players allegedly used peptides under the supervision of Stephen Dank and those who were not.
It is one of the understandable consequences of this botched ASADA investigation, which is moving at the speed of a startled turtle. Indeed, it took one of those who were not there two years ago in five-eighth Todd Carney to come out swinging for his teammates yesterday.
"I believe no player in the game has done anything wrong," he told The Big Sports Breakfast on Sky Sports Radio. "I hope ... well, I believe, that ASADA's got nothing. I do agree it might get a bit uglier with the headlines. I don't think any action will be taken. I hope not."
That might be wishful thinking, but at least he's come out and said something about the issue because nobody else at the club has in recent weeks, aside from captain Paul Gallen. The drugs issue is not going away for the Sharks and those at board level must speak.
Privately, many at the club have serious misgivings about Trish Kavanagh's report into that 11-week period in 2011 but as long as ASADA has it - and The Daily Telegraph keeps publishing extracts from it - the issue is not going away.
Chairman Glenn Coleman fell on his sword this week, but as we understand it he was going to be pushed aside by a new faction, headed by his replacement Damien Keogh, anyway. There are serious questions that need to be addressed before any further damage can be done to Cronulla.
Most crucially, it needs to be clearly established that coach Shane Flanagan did not know about any use of peptides after he told Dr David Givney they would stop. For Flanagan's sake as much as the club.
