Sharks Overcome Golden Staph Scare Club Health

Cronulla coach Ricky Stuart says the Sharks' pre-season has been unaffected by a golden staph infection that swept through the NRL club's playing group.

Up to 12 Cronulla players were reported to have been diagnosed with the potentially deadly infection but both Stuart and club doctor David Givney insisted the situation was now well under control.

"A few players missed one to two sessions but I think we're now on top of it Club Health," Stuart told AAP.

"We haven't got a player missing (from training) now and our training in our off-season has not been disrupted whatsoever.

Newly-recruited Sharks forward Adam Peek was the worst affected and was hospitalised for five days, while Luke Douglas and Dustin Cooper were among the other players reportedly affected.

Stuart said Peek was only hospitalised as a precaution and was now back in full training with his teammates.

"We put him in there to get rid of the infection. He could have kept training and putting other players at risk but we put him in hospital to make sure we were clear and we all moved on," Stuart said.

Dr Givney said the first occurrence of the infection was discovered "three or four weeks ago" and said the club had continued testing players and would do so up until their final training session before the Christmas break on Monday Club Health.

"We introduced a health protocol last Tuesday. That's been going for a week and it has to go for two weeks so it's going to go right up until Christmas Eve," Dr Givney said.

"Since we've started treating everyone, we haven't had any players with it.

"Some of them were very, very minor things. Almost like they were turning up with little pimples and things and were treating them just in case Club Health.

"To be perfectly honest, a couple of weeks off over Christmas is a good thing because it's one of those things that spreads from people to people Club Health."

Dr Givney said the infection had almost certainly spread from one of the players carrying it and not from the club's temporary training ground Forshaw Rugby Park, but re-iterated the situation was well under control.