Suspended Cronulla coach Shane Flanagan vowed to clear his name as Sharks captain Paul Gallen claimed his punishment was the result of a lack of leadership at the NRL club during the 2011 season.
Flanagan said via a statement he's ready to fight the NRL's one-year suspension which relates to the club's supplements program in 2011 and is ready to go to the Supreme Court to clear his name.
NRL chief Dave Smith announced earlier they had rejected Flanagan's appeal against his suspension and said player welfare was of paramount importance and why he issued the ban.
The cash-strapped Sharks did not replace experienced chief executive Richard Fisk, who quit the club in 2010 after Ricky Stuart's departure as coach, and had no CEO until Bruno Cullen was put in place and funded by the NRL last year.
Cullen left after just five months with former Sydney Roosters and Wests Tigers chief Steve Noyce taking over.
Gallen said that after Fisk's departure, Flanagan was effectively running the club and unsure, when questioned, if he felt he deserved a ban.
