Cronulla great Mat Rogers says he can empathise with Shane Flanagan who may feel “walked over” after reports the ex-Sharks mentor could take legal action against his former NRL club.
Flanagan has until Thursday to respond to a breach notice from the NRL over allegations he broke the terms of a 2014 ban which led to him being deregistered last month.
News Corp Australia reports Flanagan has considered all options while formulating his response.
Flanagan broke a strict term of his 12-month ban over the peptides scandal by corresponding with the club up to 60 times.
But the former mentor is reportedly considering legal action against Cronulla, claiming most of the emails he sent during his suspension were in response to correspondence initiated by Sharks staff.
It is believed Sharks CEO Barry Russell has not received any notification of a move by Flanagan to take legal action.
Rogers says he can feel for Cronulla’s 2016 premiership coach, claiming Flanagan did the right thing by resigning from his position this month, so he would not be a distraction during the club’s 2019 preparation.
“I thought it was an admirable move stepping aside, but now there are reports he may sue the club so it’s all a bit confusing,” he told AAP.
“But he’s got as much love for that club as anyone. He wants to see them succeed but at the same time he doesn’t want to be walked over either.”
Rogers believed the latest off-field controversy would galvanise Cronulla playing group, tipping them to become a premiership force this season.
He said they could follow the lead of Melbourne who bounced back to win two premierships and appear in four grand finals since their unprecedented 2010 salary cap punishment.
“When you have strong leadership, adversity makes you stronger or even better,” Rogers said.
“Look at what the Melbourne Storm went through.
“They came out of that a stronger club because they had guys like (coach) Craig Bellamy, Cameron Smith and Billy Slater.
“They pulled that club together. It was like ‘us against the world’.
“The Sharks have got a side that can win the premiership right now but stability is the key.”
Flanagan’s submission, if he was to respond, is due at league headquarters on Thursday but an NRL spokesman confirmed there was no time frame on when a final decision on the ex-coach would be reached.
