Former Gold Coast Titan Ashley Harrison charged by police in ongoing cocaine crisis at the NRL club

RETIRED Queensland great Ashley Harrison and veteran Steve Michaels are the latest former Gold Coast Titans linked to the cocaine crisis.

Sport BCM 26.5.10 State of Origin. Ashley Harrison. Queensland vs New South Wales during game 1 of the State of Origin series in Sydney. Pic Peter Wallis

RETIRED Queensland great Ashley Harrison and veteran Steve Michaels are the latest former Gold Coast Titans linked to the cocaine crisis to have rocked the NRL club.

Harrison, who retired at the end of last season, and Michaels, who left the club at the end of the year for a stint in the English Super League, take the number of past and present Titans embroiled in the scandal to eight.

Harrison will face two counts of supplying cocaine while a warrant has been issued for the arrest of Michaels, who is now playing with Hull.

A warrant has been issued for the arrest of former Titan Steve Michaels.

The Crime and Corruption Commission expects to arrest Michaels when he returns to Australia.

He faces 10 charges of supplying cocaine.

The CCC issued a statement last night, declaring it does not expect to make any further arrests of “current or former sportspeople”.

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“However, if new information comes to hand in relation to the syndicate under investigation the CCC may consider future arrests,” the statement read.

Harrison, 33, spent the final six years of his decorated 276-game NRL career at the Titans and was a workhorse for the Queensland State of Origin team during the Maroons’ record-breaking eight-series winning streak.

One of the most popular players for the Titans, Harrison was aware of the likelihood he would be charged following last Friday’s bombshell which saw code hopping superstar Karmichael Hunt and Titans players Beau Falloon and Jamie Dowling charged with supplying cocaine.

Origin stars Greg Bird and Dave Taylor were also charged, along with Titans outside back Kalifa Faifai Loa and former squad member Joe Vickery.

Michaels, a Gold Coast junior product, started his NRL career at the Broncos, but joined the Titans in 2010, scoring 24 tries in 60 appearances.

Ashley Harrison announcing his retirement from rugby league career after a career-ending neck injury. Photo by Richard Gosling

He was starved of opportunities in the top grade over the past two seasons as the Titans looked to other players in the outside backs.

It caps the end of a dark week for the Titans, which saw the club’s reputation dragged through the mud yet again and the NRL step in to take over the franchise, which was struggling to meet costs.

Late last night a clearly frustrated Titans chief Graham Annesley said he was aware a former Titans player had been charged and was bitterly disappointed.

Annesley said there was nothing the club could do about it except find it disappointing. Annesley could not even find joy in the fact there are no more sportsmen to be charged by the CCC.

“Small mercies I guess mate,” Annesley said.

Annesley said the club had not decided when the five current Titans charged would face the board to state why they should remain employed by the club. “We are still waiting for more information before we move forward with that,” he said.

“We are trying to get information as quickly as we can and we do not know when that will happen.”

Harrison’s manager Chris Orr declined to comment on his client’s charges.

The latest charges cap a tumultuous week for Queensland sport in which speculation and innuendo dogged several other sporting organisations.

Karmichael Hunt who has been charged with cocaine supply arrives at his home. Pic Darren England

Hunt and the former and current Titans players are alleged to have sourced cocaine from a multi-million dollar syndicate at the centre of a year-long probe by the CCC.

The organisation has already arrested several people allegedly linked to the cartel, including former football stars Jason Smith and Matt Seers.

It is alleged former Sydney footballer John Touma was a kingpin in the syndicate.

All three are facing drug trafficking charges. All players will face Southport Magistrates Court next month.