John Morris is set to be announced as the new coach of the Cronulla Sharks on Friday, replacing Shane Flanagan.
Morris and Cameron Ciraldo were the leading two candidates for the position but Morris was given the nod to replace Flanagan, who resigned earlier this month after being deregistered by the NRL.
The players were informed of the decision on Thursday night. Morris has the support of the playing group who were quite vocal in backing the former Cronulla assistant.
It is understood former Panthers interim coach Ciraldo was hesitant to take the job considering the off-field predicament of the club and is willing to wait for the right role before jumping in the hot seat again.
Morris played 300 NRL games across a 14-year career with the Knights, Eels, Wests Tigers and Sharks and has been an assistant coach at Cronulla for the past few seasons.