  ''Hopeless'', ''light years behind the AFL'' and ''shithouse
administration'' were some of the words used, with the
politicians further diminishing the NRL by praising their hero,
AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou, and his swift move to link
the AFL and Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority in a joint
investigation of Essendon.  It didn't matter the ARLC's new
boss, Dave Smith, had been in the job only a week. In fact, he
attended an Australian Crime Commission briefing on January 31,
a day before his official duties began.  The February 7 press
conference was the first time any member of the Cronulla board
had heard of the drugs crisis or sports scientist Stephen Dank.
One board member immediately called Sharks football manager
Darren Mooney and asked, ''Who is Stephen Dank?''  He was told
Dank had only been at the club ''five minutes'', when, in fact,
it had been five months.  The Sharks board moved swiftly,
despite the NRL counselling them to go slow. Their prime concern
was that this season not beg