John Morris’s message to players after taking over at Sharks

John Morris doesn’t know how long he’ll be head coach of Cronulla but, for the good of the NRL club, the interim mentor knows he has to act as if it’ll be for the season. Appointed earlier this month as the interim boss after the provisional deregistration of Shane Flanagan, Morris is between the proverbial rock and a hard place. The outcome of Flanagan’s ban for fraternising with the Sharks during his 2014 suspension over the peptides scandal won’t be known
for at least several weeks. Responses from both Flanagan and the Sharks are due by January 31, and it’s understood the club will at least challenge the severity of the $800,000 fine handed to them. What direction the Sharks go after Flanagan’s response is unknown, but no coaching decision will be made until the case is finalised. All the while, the Sharks’ opening-round game against Newcastle is just two months away.