What really happened at Cronulla: Morris lifts lid on contract bungles
John Morris has defended his handling of contract talks with Shaun Johnson and Will Chambers in the aftermath of his sacking by the Sharks.
Morris, who was dumped this week after Cronulla hitched its wagon to Craig Fitzgibbon, was criticised for agreeing to different deals with the club and Johnson over the playmaker’s future, while he missed repeated calls from Chambers about potentially joining the Sharks.
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“The club was getting very good at putting out its version to the public,” Ben Ikin said on NRL 360.
“That included John Morris can’t attract quality players, Morris flip flops on important decisions, Morris won’t have tough conversations with players, Morris can’t beat quality teams and Morris can’t win a competition, which may all be true, but Paul Kent you spoke with John Morris last night and he gave you his side of the story.”
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“I wrote a column today, which contained the Sharks version of events and I spoke to John last night and we went through a fair few things,” Kent said.
“One of the things was Shaun Johnson being told that he wanted a two-year $1.6 million deal which John Morris supported with Johnson, but when they got in their recruitment meeting they had an agreement that it would be one year for about $400,000 John Morris also agreed with that.
Ex-Sharks coach John Morris. (AAP Image/Cameron Laird)Source:AAP
“Now he explained that to me that he basically had no sole discretion. That was put to him this week and he said well I don’t have a choice anyway. The meeting was made and the decision was made and I simply went along with it in the meeting.
“But he supports Shaun Johnson and Johnson is a player who needs support around him. He likes to feel the love from the coach. That’s what he was doing there caring about his player.
“That’s how he explained the various versions in that instance.”
The other contract bungle involved Morris repeatedly missing calls from former Storm premiership winner Chambers who was trying to gauge the club’s interest in signing him.
“The other one was Will Chambers calling him for three days trying to get a start at Cronulla,” Kent explained.
“He said he got a phone call Friday night from a private number. He didn’t know who that was so he didn’t answer. He was on his way out to his wife’s birthday party.
“Saturday was game day so he didn’t answer. Then Sunday he woke up to a few more calls, but by then he is fighting to save his job.
“He said I wasn’t in a place to be negotiating with players when I had other things I had to deal with.”
Will Chambers couldn’t get through. (AAP Image/Michael Dodge)Source:AAP
Shaun Johnson. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)Source:Getty Images
Morris also revealed to Kent that he was told by the Sharks on Monday that he was the favourite to coach the team in 2022.
“When he and his manager had their meeting with the Sharks John told me that he was told he had the inside running for the job,” Kent said.
“He left that meeting thinking he was still a chance to be appointed as the coach at Cronulla because he had the inside running.
“The version the club put out is that he had the inside running for the past two years as the incumbent. So whose version is right?”
James Hooper revealed that Morris was told by a third party that he was a dead man walking before the meeting with the Sharks.
“John Morris and his manager knew walking into that meeting that he was not going to be the coach of the Cronulla Sharks beyond the next couple of days,” Hooper said.
“They had been made aware by a third party and Morris’ manager had spoken to them and been told in no uncertain terms you better get your ducks in a row because it is highly unlikely that your boy is going to be in his position for much longer.”
Originally published asWhat really happened at Cronulla
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