Bruno Cullen opens up on peptide probe at Cronulla Sharks
CRONULLA troubleshooter Bruno Cullen believes Paul Gallen and other NRL players were "hoodwinked" in a supplements regime and believes targeted stars must be cleared by the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority.
In a revealing interview with The Sunday Mail, Cullen, the former Broncos chief executive, opened up about the ASADA peptides probe, the future of the embattled Sharks and why leading NRL players should escape punishment.
"It's all about getting the bad guys," Cullen said. "If any player gets suspended over this (drugs probe), it would be unfair.
"It was my job to get some good people in place at Cronulla and I feel I have done that.
"I am not death-riding the club. I wish Steve Noyce, Gy Wallace and the board every success going forward."
Cullen quit as Sharks CEO a fortnight ago, labelling his position "untenable" after the new Cronulla board offered apologies to four staffers sacked by the previous regime amid the ASADA doping probe.
Cullen had originally been appointed by the NRL in March to beef-up Cronulla's governance as ASADA ramped-up investigations into the club's supplements program.
After a sweeping probe now spanning six months, ASADA are under mounting pressure to deliver scalps.
Cullen refused to comment specifically on whether Cronulla players were injected with banned substances in 2011, but says they are innocent victims who deserve clemency.
THE PLAYERS
ABOUT 30 NRL stars have been issued with interview notices by ASADA. They include Manly duo Brett Stewart and Anthony Watmough, plus 14 Cronulla players headed by Gallen, John Morris, Ben Pomeroy, Wade Graham and Ben Ross.
Queensland-based NRL players Glenn Hall (Cowboys) and Titans duo Albert Kelly and Luke Douglas have also been summoned given their previous stints at either Manly or Cronulla.
There is no suggestion any of the group are guilty of doping. Sports scientist Stephen Dank has denied supplying players with banned substances and Cullen hopes the playing group are not hit with sanction.
"Personally, I hope the players are cleared because I believe they have been hoodwinked," he said.
"I'm not saying they have taken illegal substances but, if they have, they are the innocent parties in all of this.
"They have just done what they should as professional footballers and followed the advice of people who should have their best welfare at heart.
"I don't think one player would enter into an illegal-substance program thinking they were cheating.
"Gallen is in the same group. I believe they received poor advice and shouldn't be accountable for it."
"I think ASADA and WADA will stick rigidly to the rules," Cullen said. "What evidence they can gather to enforce the rules is the sticking point. If they can prove someone took something illegal, they probably have the right to hand out a suspension. I believe it might prove very difficult to prove player X took substance Y 100 per cent, I don't know if that will happen.
WHEN WILL IT END
"ASADA will run their own race and they won't be hurried or pressured," he said. "They were given new powers with a change in legislation which came into effect on August 1, so they will exhaust the new powers to gather more information. The best-case scenario is this ending just after the season finishes and everyone saying everything is fine, let's get on with 2014.
"I doubt that will happen. If players are subject to suspensions or orders then the legal battle begins again."
FUTURE OF CRONULLA
"The land development has the club fairly well positioned, but the elephant in the room is the drug issue and it can put them under extreme pressure," he said.
"The whole drugs issue has impacted them badly on commercial sales and sponsorships.
"The Sharks may have to go to the NRL and get some sort of advance or loan.
"The best-case scenario is that nothing happens, all is forgiven and sponsors jump back on board and very quickly the organisation re-establishes itself and can survive with the development that goes ahead over the next five to 10 years.
"The worst case scenario is very, very bad and Cronulla would need financial assistance in going cap in hand to the NRL, who they have upset I would suggest by reinstating the staff.
"There are real dangers but the Sutherland Shire is a loyal area and they will fight."
THE NEW BOARD
"It was untenable for me to stay if the CEO and the board can't work totally together," he said. "On this ASADA matter, they worked aside from me.
"In any event, I felt from a structural point of view I did what the NRL asked me to do so my time was effectively up.
"I couldn't work with the new board so I'm relaxed with that and I'm sure they are too. I'm not death-riding them ... I hope it works out for Cronulla."
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