Aug 29th, 2018

Aug 29th, 2018

Phil Gould says Cronulla will be able to overcome the salary cap scandal that has rocked the club and is tipping the battle-hardened Sharks to go on and still take out this year’s premiership.

The Sharks finals tilt received a major setback on Monday when it emerged that the club had self-reported a salary cap issue to the NRL for a $250,000 breach dating back to 2015.

The NRL is yet to hand down its findings on the matter and whether it could result in the club being stripped of its maiden title in 2016, but the governing body says the club is compliant with the salary cap for 2018.

Phil Gould and James Bracey discuss the salary cap investigation into the Sharks and how it may impact on recruitment in the latest unmissable episode of Six Tackles with Gus!

The Sharks are in fourth spot with only one round remaining and need to win their final game of the season against Canterbury Bulldogs on Sunday to ensure a double chance during the finals.

Speaking on his Six Tackles with Gus podcast for Wide World of Sports, Gould said the fact the club had survived the peptide scandal would stand them in good stead for the latest situation.

"I can’t imagine it having an effect on that football team," Gould said.

"They’ve been through peptide scandals. I don’t know enough about it to know just how big it is, or how small it is, it might be nothing at all.

"The fact that they’ve self-reported would indicate to me it’s nothing that our club was aware of."

There have also been reports that the club’s salary cap scandal could affect their plans to retain star fullback Valentine Holmes, who is off contract at the end of the season and has been linked to a move to the North Queensland Cowboys.

Freddy's Tips: Round 25

Gould would not be drawn on the situation with Holmes, other than to say that clubs could not talk to him about his future until November 1, but he maintained the Sharks were still in the best position to claim their second premiership this season.

The show of support comes a year after Gould accused the Sharks of winning a "soft premiership" when they claimed their maiden title in 2016.

"I still think the Sharks will win the comp," Gould said.

"They’re recent premiership winners so there’s a lot of players in that side that have played in premiership-winning sides and I think that’s a huge advantage going into the finals.

"Of all the (contenders) the Sharks are probably playing better at the moment."