According to The Daily Telegraph, the NRL has seized documents and servers relating to payments going back to 2015.

Sharks CEO Barry Russell is believed to have reported suspicious third-party payments to the governing body.

“The Cronulla Sharks informed the NRL Integrity Unit earlier in the year of salary cap discrepancies relating to historical third-party player payments, discovered during a club instigated governance review,” the club said in a statement.

“The Sharks self-reported to the NRL and asked for their assistance in investigating this matter. The club is fully co-operating with the NRL Integrity Unit, allowing them access to any information they require to complete their investigation.

“The discrepancies occurred under previous club management. This is a historical issue, we are currently salary cap compliant for the 2018 season having passed our mid-season salary cap review.

“Due to the ensuing investigation by the NRL Integrity Unit, we will be making no further comment until the outcome of the investigation is known.”