Michael Ennis has urged Cronulla to pursue dumped Penrith coach Anthony Griffin as they race the clock to replace Shane Flanagan.
John Morris, who has taken over on an interim basis, remains the front-runner to land the job with the club expected to announce their plans over the next week.
Penrith assistant Cameron Ciraldo is seen as another contender while Justin Holbrook’s contract with St Helens could provide a road block to his chances.
News Corp reported that the club was considering two experienced coaches however their identity remains shrouded in mystery.
Ennis, who won the 2016 premiership with the Sharks under Flanagan before retiring, argued Griffin and former North Queensland and Gold Coast coach Neil Henry should be considered front-runners.
He said the club had a premiership window and needed an experienced mentor to guide them to a second title.
“I would probably lean towards Anthony Griffin to be honest,” Ennis told Fox Sports.
“Only for the sheer fact that he was doing a tremendous job at Penrith last year. They were in the top four for the majority of the season before he got the sack.
“You put someone with a bit of youth and enthusiasm next to him as an assistant and they could do some damage with this roster.”
One potential road block to Griffin being considered for the position is the deterioration of his relationship with Matt Moylan which led to the former Penrith skipper’s exit to the Sharks.
The two clashed over Moylan’s desire to be moved to five-eighth.
Griffin later said of his relationship with Moylan: “He captained the club, he played rep football from here and you never want to have a conflict like that but it happened.”
Ennis said the Sharks needed a strong personality who has capable of putting their stamp on the playing group.
“I’ve been really strong on this – that this playing group at Cronulla needs an experienced coach,” Ennis said.
“They need someone who is an instructor who is also a dictator and has that really good balance of being able to listen to the playing group but being able to put his authority on the group.”