Cronulla Sharks players Paul Gallen, John Morris and Ben Pomeroy confront Trent Elkin over ASADA investigation

IMAGINE hearing a knock at the door and opening it to discover a fuming Paul Gallen, accompanied by Ben Pomeroy and John Morris.

IMAGINE hearing a knock at the door and opening it to discover a fuming Paul Gallen, accompanied by Ben Pomeroy and John Morris.

This was the scenario ex-Cronulla head conditioner Trent Elkin was confronted by last Tuesday as the fallout from the ASADA investigation hit the Shire.

Fresh from being summoned to an extraordinary meeting where sports lawyer and ex-ASADA senior counsel Richard Redman had advised a group of 14 players to plead guilty and accept six-month suspensions, the Sharks' senior playing trio wanted answers.

They confronted their long-time trainer as soon as the crisis meeting had concluded.

Was it awkward? Put yourself in the players' shoes. They maintain they were only following the orders of their club head conditioner and one-time friend.

Are they innocent or conveniently ignorant? We probably don't have enough information yet to make judgment.

The Daily Telegraph has been told Elkin began co-operating with ASADA's investigation shortly after the Australian Crime Commission report was released and has allegedly provided intricate detail of the Sharks' supplement and peptide-based program.

His evidence has landed the Sharks at the centre of arguably rugby league's biggest doping scandal.

Whether inadvertently or to save his own skin, Elkin has effectively become an NRL "supergrass" by detailing enough information to have every player on the Sharks' roster from 2011 facing a minimum six-month ban.

Yesterday, Elkin was apparently telling those close to him he never intentionally advised players to take a banned supplement.

Cronulla players are also pleading their innocence, maintaining they were simply adhering to the program dictated by Elkin.

As the Sharks' head conditioner since mid-2004 until last October, Elkin was responsible for the club's entire sports science strategy, including the controversial move to bring Stephen Dank to the Shire in 2011 for a brief period.

Had Elkin rolled the dice, not co-operated and been found guilty of doping the Sharks, the now Parramatta Eels head conditioner could have been banned for life from professional sport under ASADA guidelines.