MICHAEL Lichaa’s defection to Canterbury has cost him an NRL spot at Cronulla, with Sharks coach Peter Sharp yesterday axing the promising hooker to make a “statement” about club loyalty.

Lichaa’s furious father Joe last night branded the 21-year-old’s punishment a “disgrace”, while Sharp refused to publicly comment on the selection backflip.

Just 48 hours after making a solid NRL debut against the Bulldogs, Lichaa yesterday told Sharks team mates he would be joining Monday night’s opposition on a three-year deal worth nearly $1 million.

News_Image_File: Shark's Michael Lichaa during the Bulldogs and Sharks match.

Shortly after breaking the news at training, Lichaa was summoned for a one-on-one talk with Sharp, who told the youngster he would be shuffled back to NSW Cup in favour of Isaac de Gois for Saturday night’s local derby against St George Illawarra. In a side that leaked seven tries against Canterbury, Lichaa made 27 tackles and missed just one off the bench and retained his position when Sharp named his Round Three team on Tuesday afternoon.

But the joy of making debut before 40 relatives at ANZ Stadium quickly evaporated yesterday, with Joe Lichaa revealing his son was “devastated”.

“They basically dropped him on the spot,” Joe Lichaa said. “(Peter) Sharp told him, ‘I’m going to have to make a statement here’. It’s a disgrace for a young kid who put his heart and soul into his debut two nights earlier.

“I spoke to him straight away. He was devastated. He was down and out, but the great thing is that he’s had plenty of support from players.”

Sharp’s stance is straight from the Wayne Bennett playbook at Brisbane a decade ago, when the supercoach condemned Justin Hodges to reserve grade after he signed with the Roosters.

News_Rich_Media: Interim coach Peter Sharp insists Cronulla took plenty of precautions with Todd Carney's injury and is confident the halfback will be at full fitness for his return to the field this weekend.

It also creates a fascinating selection subplot next Tuesday, when Test prop Andrew Fifita will be available to resume his place in the side for the first time since inking a $3.4 million deal with the Bulldogs. After controversially standing by Blake Ferguson in 2010 after he signed for Canberra, the Sharks precedent has now been switched.

“I’ll definitely be interested to see what they will do with Fifita,” Joe Lichaa said. “If they want to make a statement about Michael, then surely the same applies to him.”

A Cronulla spokesman said Sharp would not discuss team selection. The spokesman also pointed-out the squad boasted three NRL standard hookers, and that it was standard for the coaches across the NRL to name an identical line-up following Monday night matches.

Lichaa’s agent Sam Ayoub was not convinced. Ayoub last night revealed he travelled to Remondis Stadium yesterday morning to personally inform Sharks CEO Steve Noyce that Lichaa would be joining the Bulldogs. It’s understood the NSW U20s rake also rejected earlier interest from Brisbane, Melbourne, Manly and St George Illawarra.

“We kept the club in the loop, and then he gets pulled aside at training and gets told he has to be stood down to make a statement,” Ayoub said.

“I just now hope they make the same statement to every other player who signs elsewhere next year.

“Michael will accept his medicine, but it certainly doesn’t encourage other players to be upfront when it comes to informing the club they’ve signed elsewhere.”

It’s believed Lichaa’s demotion is only temporary, and that he could again be considered for selection as soon as the following weekend’s trip to Newcastle.