Cronulla Sharks will never die, says Phil Rothfield after sanctions from NRL

THE Cronulla Sharks will never die. Nor will they ever move to Rockhampton, writes Sports Editor-at-Large and devoted fan Phil Rothfield.

THE Cronulla Sharks will never die. Nor will they ever move to Rockhampton.

Today's news of a $1 million fine and the 12-month suspension of coach Shane Flanagan came as almost a relief.

We knew it was coming long before Dave Smith rang chairman Damian Keogh at 11.05am to deliver the news.

Now we can move on and prepare for 2014 with some clarity and some certainty.

NRL FINES SHARKS $1M, BANS COACH SHANE FLANAGAN

NRL'S CRONULLA FINDINGS SHAME CRAFTY AFL

RISE AND FALL OF SHANE FLANAGAN

In previous tough times, the Sharks have been in far greater danger of collapse than they are right now.News_Image_File: Phil Rothfield with fellow Cronulla Sharks supporters during this year's NRL finals.

Like the year players led by the great Gavin Miller took 50 per cent pay-cuts to save the club from bankruptcy.

Or when they stood with buckets to collect donations outside Caringbah train station, such was their adversity and desperation.

The future is much brighter right now.

The property developers at the $300 million Woolooware Bay showpiece have offered the board another $10 million up front if it's required.News_Rich_Media: The Cronulla Sharks have been handed a provisional fine of $1 million, while coach Shane Flanagan has been suspended for 12 months over the ASADA scandal.

The last of the crippling St George bank loan is about to be paid off.

Membership is up by $400,000 year on year.

Sponsorship is up by $1.25 million year on year.

They have cash in the bank for the first in years.

More importantly, the club is under new management.News_Rich_Media: Daily Telegraph journalist Dean Ritchie examines the punishment handed down to the Cronulla Sharks by the NRL over their supplement scandal.

The old board that was in charge while the drug scandal took place is long gone.

We now have a very capable chief executive, a board working in the right direction and a chairman who doesn't want all the limelight.

The last 12 months has only galvanised supporters. We feel more passionate and more supportive than ever.

The relocation to Rockhampton won't happen.

Southern Sydney is one area the NRL needs to be careful about. Our neighbours St George Illawarra have all but bailed out of the area.News_Image_File: New Cronulla Sharks chairman Damian Keogh.

They will play only four home games from their spiritual home at Kogarah from next year onwards.

They have no money and have had to go the NRL for cash advances.

If Cronulla goes, the area will be virtually lost to the game. The AFL is making huge inroads into areas south of Wollongong.

They have more teams than all of western Sydney. Next stop is the Shire.

At least Dave Smith stood up yesterday and declared the NRL will support the club.

"I think the Cronulla Sharks are a strong football club," Smith said.News_Image_File: NRL CEO Dave Smith today at the press conference where the Cronulla Sharks were fined $1 million and Shane Flanagan suspended for 12 months over the ASADA scandal.

"Their performance on the field this year, with the courage and determination they showed, in trying circumstances for families, players and supporters …. I think they showed enormous bravery.

"They're a terrific club. Under the new leadership with Damian and Steve Noyce they are doing all the right things.

"We're really supportive and I hope they do really well in 2014. As an organisation. We'll be looking to support them through that."

I do feel sorry for coach Flanagan but can't defend him.

Compared to James Hird, maybe six months would have been a more appropriate suspension. News_Image_File: Cronulla Sharks coach Shane Flanagan, provisionally banned today by the NRL.

The bottom line is he was in charge when player health and welfare was put at risk with the 2011 injections.

It doesn't matter that he got rid of Stephen Dank after two months. It still happened while he was the boss.

Flanagan's problem was that he put too much trust in his strength and conditioning coach Trent Elkin, who introduced Stephen Dank to the club.

He'd heard about Dank, his apparently legal sports science skills, and how he'd helped Des Hasler win a premiership at Manly.

As a new coach, he was looking to get an edge. At the time, the Sharks management set-up was a farce.

Chairman Damian Irvine kept resisting calls to employ a chief executive.

So we were left with a situation where a rookie coach was basically reporting to no-one, not even inexperienced football manager Darren Mooney.

And he made a mistake. A mistake that yesterday cost him his job for 12 months.