Braydon Trindall is facing a lengthy stint on the sidelines with the Sharks half unlikely to return to the field before he fronts court on mid-range drink-driving charges on May 17, and the NRL likely to impose a four- or five-match ban for bringing the game into disrepute after the case is complete.
Cronulla coach Craig Fitzgibbon on Saturday made it clear he was disappointed in Trindall, who recorded a mid-range alcohol reading of 0.125 as well as a positive test for an illicit substance on Monday at 9.45am.
Trindall is now awaiting the results from an oral fluid test for a more accurate result and will appear before Sutherland local court on May 17.
The NRL will hold off making any decision on a potential punishment until Trindall’s case has been heard, but the game has adopted a framework where penalties for low-range, mid-range and high-range drink-driving include one, two and three-match bans.
Should Trindall’s positive drugs test be confirmed, the NRL will come down harder again. There remains a chance any ban could acknowledge any games already missed by Trindall.
Trindall is undergoing two weeks of alcohol and drug counselling, and will not feature in Sunday’s game against Canberra, nor next Sunday’s grudge match against St George Illawarra.
Braydon Trindall in action for Cronulla on Sunday night, just hours before he was charged by police.Credit: Getty
There is a chance Trindall could return in round 10 against Melbourne, but he will then be in court the following week as the Sharks prepare to fly to Brisbane for Magic Round.
Trindall is free to continue training and playing, but the Sharks have made his wellbeing a top priority. Despite some excellent onfield performances, the 24-year-old playmaker had been dealing with personal issues.
Daniel Atkinson will start in the halves with Nicho Hynes against the Raiders at GIO Stadium.
Speaking on Saturday for the first time about Trindall’s arrest, Fitzgibbon said: “We want to be a team and a footy club our fans and community can be proud of. It was a challenge this week.
“We need to do a better job in making sure we’re earning that trust, that we’re ultimately being good professionals and playing good footy, and not having to deal with such issues.
“‘Tricky’s’ [Tindall] welfare is our priority, [but] we have to ensure something like this doesn’t happen again.
“We’ve worked very hard at being a team our fans and community are proud of. We obviously need to improve the standards. We need to look after each other so situations like this don’t arise again.
“We also need to move on quickly. It’s happened now, we need to adjust and make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
Under the new collective bargaining agreement, clubs leave it to the NRL to sanction players for off-field matters.
It was reported this week Trindall was likely to avoid having an official NRL strike next to his name for illicit drug use, should the second sample return positive, because testing was not conducted by official anti-doping agency WADA.
Fitzgibbon said there was a lot to like about Atkinson who he described as “the ultimate competitor”. “He has a strong kicking game, he’s fearless in defence and the boys are excited to see ‘Atko’ get a crack,” Fitzgibbon said.
It was a busy week for the Sharks who farewelled inspirational forward Dale Finucane, was forced into medical retirement because of too many concussions. The premiership winner will be paid in full for the remainder of this year and 2025, with the Sharks to go to market for a replacement once the proper medical paperwork is lodged with the NRL.
Dragons coach Shane Flanagan, who won the 2016 premiership at Cronulla, could not help but take a potshot at the Sharks ahead of next week’s derby when he said after his side’s Anzac Day loss: “I won a comp there – I don’t think they’ve won one since.”
When asked about those comments, Fitzgibbon said: “You’re going a bit early on that one. We have to get through Sunday.”
Pressed on answering the question after the Raiders’ clash, Fitzgibbon said: “You’ll still get nothing.”
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