Sharks interim coach John Morris says he wants the job permanently if it becomes available once Shane Flanagan's fate is known.
"Look I do [want the head coach role] and I haven't really made any comments about it because I do understand it's a sensitive period around Shane and his family," Morris said on Tuesday after conducting a massive 160-player training session with Cronulla's NRL, lower grades and women's teams.
"I've been with Flanno a long time, [but] I actually don't know what's going on," Morris said, acknowledging he is treading a fine line at not wanting to appear that he is waiting in the wings to benefit from Flanagan's misfortune.
"The club has asked me to do the interim role as head coach and they know my aspirations of being a head coach.
"So I'm clearly going to do it and give it my best. The club knows I'm ready to step up if required. I've said to [CEO] Barry [Russell] I'll support whichever decision they make.
"But there's still a process with Shane. So I want to get it out there that I'm not putting my hand up for this job without knowing what's going on with Shane.
"I'm just happy to do my job at the moment. I'm confident that if I am required, then I'm ready to go."
Sharks feel for Flanagan but ready to move on
Senior player Wade Graham is a fan, saying the Morris reign was the ideal tonic to soothe the minds of agitated players over losing their head coach.
"It's very disappointing the way things played out with Flanno. I've been with him since 2011," Graham said.
"It's not ideal to see someone you do have a good relationship [with], see what they're going through. That process is still going and we've yet to see the outcome.
"The only silver lining is to see someone like Johnny Morris to step in as interim for the time being."
Graham also did not want to dance on Flanagan's grave. The Sharks mentor is facing deregistration in a breach notice the NRL handed him last December for having contact with the club on numerous occasions during 2014.
Flanagan was suspended that year following investigations into the 2011 peptides scandal.
Graham said Morris could handle the top role on his own if given the chance.
"I don't want to throw darts with stuff we're still uncertain about. It will wrap up after January and then we'll sit down as a club, the board, the CEO and senior players and see where we go from there," he said, regarding the coaching position fulltime.
Graham re-signs until 2022
Morris was named the NRL's NYC coach of the year in 2017 after taking the Sharks under 20 side to the minor premiership – 19 wins and only three losses. Previously, he completed his Masters of Coaching in 2014, before becoming the Elite Development Coach of the Sharks Academy in 2015 and taking over as Cronulla's Holden Cup Coach in 2016.
Morris, 38, played 14 seasons of NRL reaching the 300-game club in the final year of his playing career while at Cronulla. He previously played for Newcastle, Parramatta and the Wests Tigers.
"I'm getting ready for round one. I can't afford to be in any other headspace than that." Morris said on Tuesday.
"We're less than six weeks and we're playing Manly in our first trial [February 23]. That's my focus at the moment to make sure we've got everyone fit and healthy on the park fighting for those 17 jumpers in round one against Newcastle."