Shane Flanagan has received the green light to return to the NRL, although Todd Greenberg emphasised this was not to be “a set and forget approach”.
Rather, the former Sharks mentor will be permitted to come back as an assistant in 2020 and 2021, with the possibility of being appointed to a head coaching role on the cards again from 2022 onwards.
What’s more, Flanagan will be under scrutiny for the coming two years – a sort of coaching parole if you will.
“Shane and any future club who employs him has numerous conditions which they must comply with and the Integrity Unit will continue to monitor his conduct over the next two seasons,” Greenberg said.
Harsh? Yeah, nah. For the second time Flanagan has got off lightly.
The convenient narrative is that Flanagan was barred from coaching because he sent a few emails while he was on a previous ban.
However, this fails to take into account the reason he was on said first ban.
While the goings-on at Cronulla while Stephen Dank was overseeing their supplements program remain murky to this day – a fact that pisses me off no end, but I guess it is what it is – what cannot be overlooked is that Flanagan was ultimately responsible.
I’m not saying he was the man holding the needle, although according to the Sydney Morning Herald, “Those who knew the intimate details of the investigation reckoned Flanagan should never be allowed near a football club again.”
Regardless, as the head coach, it was his job to ensure the young men at his club were given due care by the medical professionals they were sent to.
On that count, he failed his charges miserably, as evidenced by the fact 17 players received show cause notices from ASADA.
While an athlete is ultimately responsible for what goes into their body, the fact 17 (17!) players got popped shows that this wasn’t a case of players going off the reservation.
No, this was a club-sanctioned program – and whether he was actively involved or not, responsibility ultimately had to lie with Flanagan.
The players received 12-month bans for their part, although the bans were backdated, so they really only missed three weeks of footy.
As for Flanno, he was also given a year-long stretch on the sidelines; however, that was reduced to nine months because he was such a good boy while he was cooling his heels.
Let’s digest that for a second. It may have been backdated, but the players – on paper – did more time out of the game than the coach who allowed them to be put in such a compromising position.
Then, late last year, it came to light that Flanagan had been actively involved in the Sharks’ recruitment and retention while he was on time out.
(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
So while the story goes that Flanno’s 2019 was a write-off because he didn’t stick to the terms of a previous ban, what should never be forgotten is what the previous ban was for.
Jason Clare’s “blackest day in Australian sport” turned out to be a bit of a beat-up, but it did uncover that some pretty shonky stuff had been going on at both Cronulla and Essendon.
And, again, in the case of the Sharks, Flanagan must wear a huge part of the blame for 17 show cause notices.
This isn’t just coming from me either. Wayne Bennett – who, as then-Knights coach, lost Jeremy Smith and Kade Snowden from his side as a result of the bans – was forthright in his opinion as to who was ultimately to blame.
“The people they trust more than anybody else in their lives and in what they do is their coaches and their staff,” Bennett said.
“They were told it wasn’t performance-enhancing. That’s been a constant since this has all happened and their trust has been breached and as a result of that, these men are now paying a price for it.”
“Yeah, the buck stops within the group that told them this was okay to do this.”
Geraldine Mills, the mother of former Cronulla player Stewart Mills, went further, saying that Flanagan “should be banned for life”.
“He should never be allowed to coach another team again,” Geraldine told the Daily Telegraph.
“This whole thing has effectively ruined my son’s career, and I can’t accept the head coach had no knowledge about any of it.”
A lifetime ban is not without precedent in this matter either, with Dank ultimately receiving one – although, while ASADA welcomed the ban, it was handed down by the AFL.
As for whether Flanagan should have been ruled out forever, not enough evidence of who knew what was made public for the average person to make an informed opinion.
But the coach getting nine months – while the players he was supposed to be looking out for got 12 – sucks.
And that Flanagan ignored his initial ban isn’t just disrespectful to the NRL, who put the ban in place; it’s a massive up-yours to the players who will forever have an asterisk on their careers.
Because by refusing to take his medicine like a man, Flanagan was effectively saying, “I’ve done nothing wrong and don’t deserve to be out”.
Lifetime ban? Maybe not. But nine months, then an indefinite ban that turns out to actually be just 12 months doesn’t pass the smell test for the person under whose watch 17 players became drug cheats.
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
Rory,As a Cronulla supporter, you have no idea the amount of vitriol much justified ,thrown around with the ASDA issues and the salary cap issues. Heavy fines, loss of sponsorships running into the millions, black marks against players ,coaches and coaching staff, that will be around whilst they are inhaling the Oxygen. Sydney media loves negativity when to comes to rugby league ,it sells. If you believe players got off with a slap on the wrist, perhaps have a chat with any one of them, to hear their experiences.The media print and electronic had a field day, which made just about every Shark’s fan ,sick to the teeth. Plus I might add ASADA management made the comment, the Sharks board and David Smith acted wholeheartedly to assist with their investigations, providing no roadblocks or delaying tactics.They stated the code acted professionally toward their investigation, something the AFL did not do.Their comments not mine. Thus their suspension period was reduced accordingly.
Pedro the Saint
Roar Rookie
Yeh, keep hearing the rumblings that Brian Johnston approached the nrl to get the clearance! :shocked:
Renegade
Roar Guru
I did read your points below Nat, however you are claiming the responsibility sits with the players and they are the cheats... which one is it, is Flanagan worse than a criminal such as Lodge for driving his regime or are the players the ones at fault?
Nat
Roar Guru
From a social/ criminal aspect not close at all and I've explained further below. For repeated and calculated infringements on the integrity of the game - 100%.
Bonza
Roar Rookie
Calling players "drug cheats" is a nice sensationalist way to add some drama to an article. It conjures up images of 100m final or Tour de France champions. Which was hardly the case. If you want to get on the self righteous soap box how about taking aim at coaches fully aware of salary cap rorting or leaders of the game turning a blind eye to domestic violence incidents?
Renegade
Roar Guru
Lacking a fair bit of credibility when claiming to an objective view.... if you think what Flanagan did is worse than what Lodge under any circumstance
Justin Kearney
Roar Rookie
And, by the way, I feel for any person who goes to such a dark place. But,I’m sorry, the club brought this on itself.
Justin Kearney
Roar Rookie
What you appear to be asking me to do is to feel sorry for a chap who bought into a regime that caused the chaos that ensued. He was head coach and responsible for the welfare of his players. The players are the victims. The officials including the coaching staff were the perpetrators. The sharks got off lightly because they fessed up. The dons stayed in denial and caused all the crap that followed. The approaches were completely different as acknowledged by asada. The arrogance of the Essendon afl club was the issue. And it started at the top.
Big Daddy
Guest
The NRL leave themselves open to ridicule with this decision. They cherrypick who they want and who they don't want. And now we have gould interviewing him tomorrow night on Ch9. Gould will interview him and we will have story about his good community work and the NRL will be saying he's done his penance and deserves a second chance. Why don't they do some one on one interviews with Carney and Sandor Earl to see how they have suffered.
RoryStorm
Guest
Hardly an all expenses paid trip overseas for a holiday for the Essendon coach. It was deemed prudent for his mental health to get him out of the country for the good of his mental health. The NRL teams and players don't have to put up with a tenth of what the AFL boys have to put up with. The Essendon coach had every tv channel and radio station's vans and cameras parked outside his house 24/7 for weeks in the hope they could get a scoop. Essendon are one of the most successful and powerful AfL clubs. Trying to get through the media pack twice a day trying to drop off and pick up his very young girls for and after school. Newly married Essendon players too scared to try and start families from the fear they had of what Dank had put in them. The AFL have covered the players for medical bills for "life". The Essendon coach tried to committ suicide over it. You have to be in a very dark place to do that. Some may say he was weak, but I'm glad I have never had to walk in those shoes. The Cronulla coach and players all got off with a slap on the wrist.
Justin Kearney
Roar Rookie
From memory Essendon’s coach, who was found to have committed a similar offence, got an all expenses paid trip to France as his punishment. I’ll forgive Flanagan now on that basis.
Sam
Guest
I'm ok with Flanagan being allowed back. I put him in the same basket as Steve Smith, neither were directly involved with cheating (separate NRL and ASADA investigations both ruled Flanagan had no involvement) but were both punished for failing to know about it.
kimboinbrisbane
Roar Rookie
Lodge spent 2 years banned from the NRL and paid a huge financial price for his drunken actions, but didn’t put anyone in hospital. Wighton from Canberra in a drunken rampage, DID put people in hospital. His punishment was a ten week suspension from playing and a $30,000 fine. That’s what you call a double standard!!
Nat
Roar Guru
100% agree but so did Bellamy.
Dogs Boddy
Roar Rookie
Agreed. This is a really grey area, and something that is always pushing the boundaries. ASADA will admit they are usually playing catch up on this issue.
Dogs Boddy
Roar Rookie
Pretty sure an 18 year old Chinese swimmer is told to take the drugs in order to bring glory to China and the great Chinese communist party, and is rewarded handsomely by the same party for that success. Not the same thing at all.
Stormy
Roar Rookie
I don't for a minute try to minimise what my club did & I know the hatred will probably go on forever. I was just pointing out that Flannagan will get his job back ( no doubt with a different club), so, effectively, minimal punishment - hardly fair IMO. Monetary is a word meaning to do with or connected to money regardless of the amount.
Wayne Turner
Guest
NRL = No Real Leadership Have no standards. He should never be allowed back,a cheat,multiple times. Just as Lodge,shouldn't have been allowed back.Also it's a farce that Tim Simone might be able to comeback (He's currently allowed to play in the Canterbury Cup,playing for Blacktown Workers.Should have been banned for life,for stealing from fans and charities.Along with betting against his own team in games). NRL should be a professional,and elite competition.NOT just for performances,but behaviour too. So weak.
Superspud
Roar Rookie
I guess my point is we are all quick to judge others who are guilty of drug cheating when essentially it's the same. Pretty sure an 18 year old Chinese swimmer does not decide to take performance enhancing drugs without coaches knowledge. In most cases they wouldn't know or even have a choice. I don't see a massive difference and all the Sharks players got a slap on the wrist.
Nat
Roar Guru
With all due respect Stormy, "monetary breaches" is a little light. It was worth $millions over many years that denied opposition teams the opportunity to win premierships. It was the single worst rort in league, not just NRL, history. Today, you still have the same coach and some of the same players. Those who may not have been there if not for the excessive 'benefits' on offer during their younger years. We are not even a generation away from that event so expect the same ridicule for some time. Look at Manly during the 70s. What they did in buying a premiership was not illegal but more immoral for the day and they are still the most despised team in Sydney - after 4 decades. Letting Flannagon back in the game won't mean people forget what he has done and that will follow him to any club he ventures too for the rest of his days.