EXCLUSIVE: Sharks whistleblower alerted ASADA to Xerri’s alleged steroid use

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Sharks young gun Bronson Xerri was specifically targeted by ASADA after an anonymous tip suggested the rookie had been using performance enhancing substances for years.

Fox Sports has learned question marks about Xerri’s alleged use of performance enhancing supplements was an open secret in the Cronulla junior system.

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Xerri, 19, played his junior football for the Aquinas Colts where he was a star and often played an age group or two above his age.

Aquinas is a renowned breeding ground for future Sharks NRL players.

One of the junior teams Xerri featured in at Aquinas won ten consecutive premierships in the Shire and also featured Sharks rising stars Blayke Brailey and new Roosters halfback Kyle Flanagan.

The latest drug scandal to rock Cronulla on the eve of the re-launch of the 2020 competition comes six years after the infamous peptides scandal.

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Former Sharks head coach Shane Flanagan was banned from coaching for 12 months and 15 players were issued with 12-month back-dated bans as a result of the club’s regime.

Sharks chairman Dino Mezzatesta remains adamant Xerri’s positive test was a one-off incident and not part of a broader culture at Cronulla.

The Sharks are no strangers to controversy with the club also hit with a $250,000 fine for salary cap rorting at the beginning of last season.

As a result of the salary cap issues the club was forced to play $350,000 under the salary cap last year and this year.

“The briefing I’ve had from the NRL integrity unit clearly indicates this is a matter of an individual and not a club matter – so we have no other concerns at this present point in time,’ Mezzatesta said.

“I’ve spoken to Peter V’landys, we’re in constant contact, we know it’s a matter of an individual – at this point in time, we certainly know it’s not a club issue.

“We’re more than happy to work with the NRL moving forward.

“We’re very confident with the protocols we have in place, with the systems we have in place, it’s unfortunate that this matter has arisen for a young individual that’s associated with our club.

“Our priority is welfare, but we certainly have no concerns about our club at this time and certainly not into the future.’’