Jan 30th, 2019

Jan 30th, 2019

Former Cronulla utility John Morris may be too close to players to be a success as Sharks full-time coach this season, Mat Rogers has warned.

Cronulla great Rogers has instead backed ex-Manly mentor Trent Barrett, saying the club needed an experienced leader to inspire a roster of "strong personalities".

Morris is the favourite to officially take over the Sharks reins from ex-mentor Shane Flanagan, who resigned this month to compile a response to an NRL breach notice due on Thursday after being deregistered.

Morris is the interim Sharks coach and has been formally interviewed for the full-time job along with Penrith assistant Cameron Ciraldo.

Barrett and UK Super League's St Helens coach Justin Holbrook are also believed to be in the mix.

John Morris named interim coach of the Sharks. (aap)

Rogers rated Morris as a coach but feared it may be too soon to step up as a rookie NRL mentor this season after announcing his retirement as a player in 2014.

Morris' final stint in his 300-game career was at Cronulla from 2010-14 where he played alongside current Sharks such as Paul Gallen.

"The toughest thing is that there are players there he has played with," Rogers told AAP.

"Back when Nathan Brown was coaching with St George for example he was coaching blokes he played with and things went a bit sideways.

"Senior players can run the show rather than the coach running the show and it can be a bit messy.

"I think John has a huge future in coaching but I think it might be a fraction early for him, the timing might not be right.

"They have a team with players with pretty strong personalities, they need a pretty strong coach who gets the best out of those older guys and inspires the young blokes."

Mat Rogers. (aap)

Rogers said Cronulla would be best served by Barrett, who is available after a messy departure from Manly.

"I think Trent Barrett should be in the mix. He did well at Manly with limited resources," Rogers said.

"You need a solid leader who knows the game back to front and can inspire those guys.

"Morris may be tough enough to handle it and I don't want to throw him under the bus, I just think it might a year or two too early for him."

Cronulla are expected to confirm their full-time coach before their first pre-season trial against Manly at Brookvale Oval on February 23.

©AAP2019