Shane Flanagan set to be banned from NRL

Under-fire Sharks coach Shane Flanagan will face the full force of the ARLC tomorrow and will reportedly cop an indefinite ban from the NRL over his latest controversy.The premiership-winning coach made headlines this month after allegations of him communicating with club officials during his 2014 ban, which had expressly forbidden contact with Sharks staff, surfaced.“According to sources, the NRL believes it had no choice but to indefinitely deregister Flanagan, rather than just impose another 12-month ban, because he blatantly ignored the previous suspension,” the Daily Telegraph reported Tuesday night.An NRL investigation reportedly revealed Flanagan “regularly ignored the strict terms of the 12-month ban imposed on him over Cronulla’s peptide scandal in 2011”.It
is understood Flanagan will be slapped with a breach notice, pulling him forward to convince the commission why he shouldn’t be rubbed out of the game indefinitely. “The Commission, together with the NRL, reiterated that the game will continue to take a strong stance to combat violence against women,” the statement read.“The Commission agreed as a priority, to ensure that appropriate action is being taken across the game to deal with recent instances of violence against women.”The ARLC board also ticked off on a number of rule changes to be introduced in time for next season, includingreducing the shot clock on scrums and drop-outs. Parameters are also likely to be set around sin-bin and send-off use.“These are important announcements that ensure our game develops and improves,” ARLC chairman Peter Beattie said.