Overnight wrap: Sharks, Storm, trophy

New Cronulla coach Ricky Stuart says he will meet with Sharks skipper Brett Kimmorley in the coming days to discuss what role the veteran playmaker will have at the club next season.

Stuart was yesterday confirmed as Stuart Raper's successor at Cronulla with the former Sydney Roosters premiership winning coach signing a two year deal with the club. Stuart says he will meet with all the players, including Kimmorley before he begins his commitments with the Australian team ahead of next month's Tri-Nations tournament.

Kimmorley and Stuart are believed to have had a falling out following game one of last year's State of Origin series in which Kimmorley threw the intercept pass which plunged the Blues to defeat in Stuart's Origin debut as coach.

Stuart says he is happy with the playing roster at the Sharks and claims he would not have taken on the head coaching role at the club if he thought otherwise.

Melbourne is yet to confirm the replacement for injured forward Michael Crocker for Sunday's NRL grand final against Brisbane at Telstra Stadium.

Storm coach Craig Bellamy has named a 20-man squad for the decider, with Jeremy Smith, Garett Crossman and Jamie Feeney in contention for the final interchange spot. Crocker was ruled out after suffering a knee injury during the Storm's victory over St George Illawarra last Saturday night.

Meanwhile, the NRL premiership trophy is back in safe hands after an embarrassing mix-up saw rugby league's most prized possession make an unscheduled tour across Australia yesterday.

Sent down to Melbourne for a promotional shoot ahead of Sunday's grand final between the Storm and Brisbane, the trophy somehow found its way onto a Qantas flight to Perth with NRL officials admitting they spent most of yesterday morning unsure as its whereabouts.

The trophy, a sculpture based on one of rugby league's most enduring images involving an embrace between rival players Arthur Summons and Norm Provan following the 1963 grand final, was located in the cargo of a flight from Sydney to Perth, from where it was sent directly back to NRL headquarters.

NRL chief executive David Gallop says he had a few heart flutters when told the trophy was missing but has assured both sides competing in Sunday's decider that the trophy will be present at Telstra Stadium.