CRONULLA have attempted to distance themselves further from Greg Bird, yesterday removing the lock - charged on Monday with assaulting his girlfriend - from the club's official website.

Even though Sharks chief executive Tony Zappia has flagged an intention to meet Bird and his manager Gavin Orr in coming weeks, the decision to erase him from the player profiles list would appear to be another nail in the coffin of the Test and Origin representative's Sharks career, after he was stood down from the club indefinitely, pending the court action against him.

"Obviously, at the moment, he's under police investigation," Zappia said. "We've got sponsors to think about and we're ensuring the integrity of the brand."

Zappia has not spoken with Bird since Monday, when he told officials he was not involved in an incident at his Cronulla home which resulted in his girlfriend, Katie Milligan, suffering eye injuries. With the smell of deceit relatively strong, Zappia said he hoped to meet the player for "information gathering".

"I've sent correspondence to his manager and we're waiting for a suitable time," he said.

Bird's manager, Gavin Orr, has been the subject of police investigation after visiting Milligan at Prince of Wales Hospital on Tuesday even though Bird was forbidden to contact her, even through another party. Zappia refused to be critical of Orr, saying: "He doesn't work for me. He decides what he does."

Elsewhere, Penrith are set to lose the fifth member of their 2003 premiership-winning side in the space of months, with back-rower Shane Rodney close to signing with Manly.

The Sea Eagles have offered Rodney a four-year deal - remarkable considering he has played just 16 matches in the past three seasons due to shoulder and neck problems.

Rodney attracted interest from the Bulldogs and St George Illawarra, who both offered three-year deals, but the extra season has swayed the 25-year-old. The deal is believed to be heavily back-ended, with Rodney earning most of his money in the third and fourth years.