CRONULLA is a political minefield with revelations emerging that senior players and coaching staff - including head coach Ricky Stuart - are at loggerheads with the club's board. The Sharks' internal dramas were a major reason Stuart quit the club yesterday despite having another season to run on his contract.
Stuart, the former NSW and Australian coach, will finish this season in charge before handing over to Shane Flanagan, Cronulla's assistant coach, for 2011.
The Daily Telegraph can today reveal:
SENIOR Cronulla players were not consulted by the club's board over Stuart's shock resignation;
STUART and Sharks chairman Damian Irvine have a relationship fractured beyond repair;
THE board was split over whether to accept Stuart's resignation;
SOME internal factions wanted to advertise for the vacant coaching position, others were adamant Flanagan deserved his chance after five years as assistant coach; and
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INSTABILITY at board level has worn Stuart down in recent months.
Stuart approached the board last week about quitting after this year.
Privately, he realised his damaged relationship with some board members could not be repaired. The board fast-tracked their approval for Stuart to quit but, in doing so, forgot to consult senior players.
The Daily Telegraph can also reveal Stuart was privately upset that Irvine had linked Nathan Brown to the club as a future coach.
"How would you feel - of course Ricky was upset, particularly after he held the club together last year," said one well-placed Sharks source.
At a media conference at Cronulla Leagues Club yesterday, Stuart refused to identify the boardroom issues. Asked why he wanted to leave, Stuart said: "The decision at this time was right for Ricky Stuart and for the Cronulla Sharks.
See below for Ricky Stuart's coaching record
"I'm over the hardest part and that was just then talking to the players [yesterday morning].
"We've got a really close bond, they're a great group of players ... it was difficult in regards me telling them of my decision.
"I think the time's right, it's right for me to go out and look at some new challenges and I think the timing is also certainly right for the club. But it was a very difficult decision."
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Stuart has a strong friendship with the club's senior players, most notably Paul Gallen and Trent Barrett. Asked were the players consulted about the board's decision to allow the resignation, Barrett said: "I spoke to Sticky [Stuart], he is a mate of mine. But I didn't talk to anyone else.
"Going forward, maybe senior players like Paul Gallen and Kade Snowden should be filled in on decisions.
"Not so much me, I may not be here next year, but these guys will be at the club for years to come and they need to be kept happy."
Sharks CEO Richard Fisk described Stuart as the "rock that held this club together last season".
Players supporting Stuart are privately miffed at the fall-out between their coach and the board. "It's important for the players that they know I am there to help them, and not just on the field with their football," said Stuart, who wants to continue coaching in the NRL next season and has been linked to Wests Tigers, Brisbane and the Melbourne Rebels rugby union club.
Stuart's mid-season decision to announce he is leaving allows Flanagan to become involved in recruitment for 2011 and to implement some of his training strategies.
"I would have loved to have had success here and loved to have delivered something the club hasn't been able to achieve," Stuart said.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...-as-sharks-coach/story-e6frexnr-1225870789983
Frenzy's worries might have some weight.
