Chairman of embattled Sharks quits

The Sharks have been at the centre of a doping scandal gripping the National Rugby League and last week head coach Shane Flanagan was suspended while four other staff members were sacked.

In announcing his own resignation, Damian Irvine said the club had been under intense pressure since being mentioned in a wide-ranging Australian Crime Commission (ACC) report into doping in sport.

He said comments he made to a Sunday newspaper that some Cronulla players had been given "equine substances" over a few weeks in 2011 had not helped.

Staff have denied any knowledge of this occurring and Irvine admitted Wednesday he should not have made the comments.

"But it wasn't an interview in a calm situation," he said. "It was a middle of the night conversation after quite a bit of badgering. It wasn't sensible to make those comments and I'll take responsibility for those."

The Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) is investigating the club after the ACC report found the use of prohibited substances was common across multiple sporting codes and identified six NRL clubs.

As many 14 Sharks players have reportedly been accused of using prohibited drugs, with allegations they were given Thymosin Beta 4 (a substance used on horses to increase muscle growth) and CJC-1295 peptides in the 2011 season.

Former player Glenn Coleman, who has replaced Irvine as chairman, vowed the Sharks, a club which has struggled financially in recent years, would survive the current scandal.

"Our energy and focus now has to be in assisting our players tangled up with ASADA," he said.

"I am worried about our players. We have a lot who are affected by this. We need to support them 100 percent.

"But we can definitely survive. The club has a bright future."

The Sharks opened their NRL season with an emotional 12-10 victory over Gold Coast on Sunday.