Gallen lawyers up as interviews kick off Paul Gallen is a rugby league warhorse on the field but the drugs saga at the Sharks has him feeling the pinch off it. SHARKS skipper Paul Gallen has broken ranks from teammates involved in the anti-doping probe, hiring an independent lawyer on the eve of the resumption of player interviews. Former Australian Sport Anti-Doping Authority legal counsel Richard Redman, in company with Rugby League Players Association silk Andrew Coleman SC, have represented all Cronulla players since the club was implicated in mid-February. But The Daily Telegraph can confirm Gallen earlier this week disengaged himself from Redman and Coleman in favour of individual representation. Gallen was tight-lipped about the change when contacted last night as the Sharks prepared to fly to Auckland for tomorrow afternoon's clash against New Zealand. "I was told by people I trust that I should have independent legal advice," he said. Gallen refused to disclose the identity of his new lawyer. "That's my business," he said. Gallen's split from the pack is indicative of different issues that face each of the 11 Sharks players who have received interview notices. The first Sharks players are expected to be interviewed from Tuesday onwards. A total of 10 are wanted for questioning this time around, with utility Wade Graham not receiving a second call-up after his interview was sensationally aborted in April. Prop Ben Ross is the surprise inclusion, given he was at South Sydney when Cronulla's 2011 supplement program of tablets, creams and injections was used. It's understood Ross has no case to answer and has only been summoned to provide information that might be of use to ASADA. The remaining nine players have been split into separate categories. The majority will only be questioned about possible exposure to banned substances at the hands of Cronulla coaching staff and their assistants, including sports scientist Stephen Dank, who has denied any wrongdoing. The remaining players fall into a more complex category. As revealed by The Daily Telegraph in June, ASADA has obtained hundreds of text messages from Dank's phone that involve contact with NRL players. Gallen is among them but Dank has said the two men have remained friends since he left the club. In the absence of any positive tests, ASADA faces the difficult task of building a case for proving the players actually TOOK banned substances. From Cronulla's independent report, which included written statements from staff, found banned peptides were part of Dank's 2011 supplement program. There is no question members of the NRL team between round two and 12 that season received injections, tablets and creams. Proving what substances were contained in the needles, blister packs and tubes is the missing piece of the puzzle. But that headache is expected to be solved by ASADA's new powers, which can compel Dank to attend an interview in which he's obliged to tell all. Furthermore, former Sharks high performance coach Trent Elkin has already been interviewed. Cronulla players are expected to argue that they were told the substances were merely amino acids, and that everything was WADA compliant. Over the past 48 hours Redman and Coleman have been briefing players about their individual circumstances. The "Significant Assistance" discount, which can reduce sentences from two years to six months, is available to those who provide information that leads to further convictions. It's understood several Sharks players are strongly considering taking this option. Twenty other players from seven more clubs - Manly, Newcastle, Penrith, Canberra, North Queensland, Parramatta and Gold Coast - are also wanted for interview until 28 August. ASADA has changed its strategy from April, when it intended to start with Cronulla and focus on one club at a time. Players from the other clubs will now be interviewed as early as Monday in accordance with a different script. ASADA's strategy is now to question players who they're most concerned about last, possibly making it harder to obtain the significant assistance discount. For example, if one of the first players interviewed provides evidence about another individual, subsequent interviewees might not have the benefit of implicating that person a second time. Unlike Cronulla, none of the other clubs are under the spotlight for systemic doping. Apart from the four ex-2011 Cronulla players that are now at other clubs, the remaining players are believed to be under suspicion because of independent dealings. ASADA now has the power to request phone, credit card and computer records from these players. It would appear that only those involved in Cronulla's 2011 supplement program will face sanction, including Elkin, who is now at Parramatta. Although he was reinstated after being stood down in March, Sharks coach Shane Flanagan is still at risk - particularly if players start to roll in a bid to obtain a reduced ban. It's the same story for Mark Noakes, as well as fellow sacked staff Darren Mooney, Dr David Givney and physiotherapist Konrad Schultz. Apart from Elkin, none provide any treatments. But their knowledge of the 2011 supplement program has not been fully tested. All vigorously deny any wrongdoing. With interviews to wrap up on 28 August, it's not expected that any outcome will be known until after the grand final on October 6. The AFL interviews with Essendon finished in early June and nearly two months have now passed without a result. AFL boss Andrew Demetriou expects an announcement over the next fortnight.