CRONULLA'S sponsors have backed the club's handling of the Greg Bird affair as the parents of the American girlfriend he is alleged to have glassed flew out from the US to be by her bedside.

After learning on Monday morning that Bird had been charged with two counts of assault over the incident in his Cronulla unit that left Katie Milligan with a fractured eye socket, a number of concerned sponsors contacted the Sharks to ask how the club intended to deal with the situation.

The previous evening the club had issued a statement denying Bird was involved. But Cronulla chief executive Tony Zappia said the sponsors were satisfied by the club's decision to stand down Bird indefinitely from playing and training.

"That didn't have any influence on our decision but some of our sponsors were keen to know what stance the club was going to take," Zappia said. "I think they were satisfied by how we have handled it."

The Sharks held a scheduled board meeting last night at which directors were updated on the case but no further action is expected until after Bird's next appearance in court on October 8. The 24-year-old has been released on bail following the alleged incident.

However, coach Ricky Stuart and his players will attempt to escape the glare of the Sutherland Shire by relocating to the other side of the Harbour Bridge.

Zappia confirmed that Stuart has taken the extraordinary step of moving his side to a North Sydney hotel in preparation for Friday night's match against Wests Tigers at Leichhardt Oval.

Meanwhile, Rugby League Accredited Player Agent Committee operations manager Paul Osborne said no complaint had been made against Bird's manager, Gavin Orr.

Sutherland Local Court heard on Monday that Bird allegedly sent friend Brent Watson a text message while he was being interviewed by police that said: "My manager is helping us sort this shit out."

Orr has only been accredited since September last year and had been previously denied following the allegation he had forged the signature of Eels forward Fuifui Moimoi on a contract with the Melbourne Storm when the player was already signed to Parramatta. Osborne said: "We're watching the situation."