Dark days approaches the Cronulla Sharks as the NRL boss Dave Smith warned of more pain as the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) continues its investigation. But supports for Coach Flanagan continues to pour and cheer the club in their darkest hours.

Another month of turmoil and pain becomes a sobering reality before ASADA finishes the investigation, according to NRL Chief Executive Dave Smith.

"I met with ASADA last Friday and they told me that they are probably four weeks away from finishing with Cronulla. I really want it done as quickly as I can. Fundamentally, we need to get it down and dusted. That's their job. They have to get to the bottom of that, as soon as possible for the sake of everybody," Smith said to News Limited on Sunday night.

Shane Flanagan was stood down by the Board of the Cronulla Sharks on March 8, 2013, resulting from an ongoing drugs-in-sport investigation, and the suspended coach is "gutted" at being forced to miss one of his club's most famous wins. Flanagan sacked Sharks officials Mark Noakes, Konrad Schultz, and Dave Givney watched last night's match against Gold Coast at the Gymea Tradies Club with tears rolling down.

But the suspension won't stop support for the Sharks and Flanagan as banners were raised during the match. One of the banners read: "Flanno is in. The board is out". Another said: "Support Flanno and the players not the gutless board." Stage fans chanted, "Bring back Flanno." The clear support of the fans may get their wishes as the board is under pressure to reinstate the head coach.

The Australian Crime Commission reported drugs-in-sport activities are imminent and personal relationships between professional athletes and organised crime groups could be behind suspected cases of match fixing and manipulation of betting markets, according to the investigation named Project Aperio.

Some of the notable drugs-in-sports cases include the 2010 ASADA positive test results of nine sportsmen, 60 athletes lost their medals due to 1966 Summer Olympics infractions with doping related issues, and eight more athletes were stripped of their medals in 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics.

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