Cronulla Sharks receive discounted fine for self-reporting salary cap issues: report
by WWOS staff 2 hours ago
The Cronulla Sharks are set to be forced to shed a player from their roster before the start of the season after the NRL finalised its salary cap investigation into the club.
The Daily Telegraph is reporting the Sharks will be penalised in the form of a salary cap reduction of $350,000 for the 2019 and 2020 season, triggering a late roster reshuffle to make the club cap compliant before the season starts.
While the bad news is significant, the NRL has eased the burden on the Sharks by reducing a fine that was initially set to be $750,000 down to $250,000 due to the honesty of Sharks CEO Barry Russell, who self-reported the cap irregularities.
The significantly discounted fine is aimed at encouraging clubs to self-report any wrongdoing in the future.
Cronulla signed
James Segeyaro earlier this week to a one-year deal and the cap penalty imposed by the NRL potentially puts that signing in jeopardy.
In December, Cronulla Sharks coach Shane Flanagan was deregistered by the NRL for breaching the league's ban on communicating with officials and players during his 2014 suspension.
NRL CEO Todd Greenberg described the recent events as "extremely disappointing" after they made the terms of Flanagan's 2014 suspension "crystal clear" to the coach.
"This is a very disappointing day for our club," chief executive Russell said in December.
"As CEO of the club we have to accept responsibility that we broke the rules, and if you break the rules, there are consequences and we are paying for those right now.
"It is sad for our fans, for our players.
"From my point of view I'm going to do whatever it takes to get through this matter and clear us. The integrity of this club, our governance, needs to be first class.
"It's a proud club and our fans, our members don't deserve this."
As part of that investigation into a salary cap indiscretion at the Sharks it was revealed that the NRL integrity unit discovered over 50 emails from Flanagan regarding the retention and recruitment of players while he was serving his 12-month ban (which was reduced to nine months if he reached certain conditions).
All of the emails were sent during that time he was banned as part of the fallout of the 2014 supplements scandal.
This was an obvious breach of Flanagan's suspension terms which ruled the coach could have no direct or indirect contact with NRL officials and players.
Greenberg said the conditions of Flanagan's ban in 2014 were clearly "reinforced" to the coach and his club.
"Shane and the club appear to have ignored those conditions," Greenberg said last year.
Greenberg described Flanagan's behaviour during his suspension period as "disrespectful".
"Fundamental to the rules of the game and the integrity of the game that we work in is people being honest and truthful ," Greenberg said.
"It cuts to the very core of the fabric of what the game's rules stand for and we can't sit around and watch that happen under the way the rules are governed."
