Johnson’s Sharks coach sent packing

Kiwi league star Shaun Johnson’s stint at the Cronulla Sharks has got off to the worst possible start with the coach who wooed him after his messy breakup with the Warriors deregistered by the NRL.

Coach Shane Flanagan was deregistered by the NRL yesterday for communicating with the Sharks while suspended, leaving the club without a coach less than three months before the start of the season.

They moved quickly to replace him, installing assistants John Morris and Jim Dymock as caretaker coaches. The club vowed to ride out the latest ‘‘speed bump’’ and survive financially.

‘‘I’ve got confidence in them for the time being,’’ captain Paul Gallen said of the assistant coaches.

The Sharks have been fined A$800,000 (NZ$839,000) – half of which was suspended at the time over their supplements saga.

Flanagan and the club have until the end of January to respond to a breach notice, which is when the NRL will make its final determination.

Sharks chief executive Barry Russell said the club will appeal the fine imposed by the NRL with the hope of reducing the amount, but it was up to Flanagan whether he appeals his ban.

The club will have to overturn evidence found by the NRL integrity unit that more than 50 emails were sent by Flanagan concerning retention and recruitment.

His first correspondence was sent just weeks after his suspension and continued all the way to September 2014.

The club is believed to have initiated most of the discussions, resulting in the extra A$400,000 (NZ$419,000) fine.