Sharks move may return to bite Johnson
If Shaun Johnson was hoping to find some certainty at Cronulla after eight years on the Warriors rollercoaster, then the star playmaker is out of luck.
Less than a month after being released from the Warriors to join the Sharks, Johnson’s new club is without a head coach after Shane Flanagan was deregistered by the National Rugby League.
The governing body came down hard on Flanagan after an investigation found that he broke the conditions of his yearlong ban from the game in 2014 over Cronulla’s peptide scandal. Flanagan and the club have until the end January to respond to the breach notice.
Flanagan, who led Cronulla to their maiden premiership in 2016, played a crucial role in luring Johnson to the club.
The former Golden Boot winner recently revealed one of the selling points of the Sharks was Flanagan’s willingness to discuss the club’s roster – something he said he had not experienced at the Warriors over the last few years.
Cronulla have installed assistants John Morris and Jim Dymock as their caretaker coaches.
Sharks CEO Barry Russell said the club will be appealing the $800,000 fine imposed on them by the NRL with the hope of reducing the amount, but it was up to Flanagan whether he appeals his ban.
‘‘I’ve got confidence in them for the time being,’’ captain Paul Gallen said of the assistant coaches yesterday.
The appointment of Morris and Dymock was perhaps ideal for Johnson and made sense for an experienced side such as Cronulla.
Johnson has signed a threeyear deal with the Sharks and it would be a shock to see him turn out for anyone other than Cronulla in 2019.
But given the high movement of contracted players over the last month, this off-season has merely reinforced the belief that modern-day contracts aren’t worth they paper they’re printed on.
Fail to live up to expectations in his first season and the new person in charge may assess their options.
It remains to be seen how the coaching change will affect Johnson at his new home.
But in an uncertain time for all involved at the Sharks, he can hardly be feeling as comfortable with the decision as he was at the start of the month.