In the ultimate insult for the former Manly premiership- winning player, Cuthbertson spent Sunday afternoon being tackled by plumbers and bricklayers after being dropped to play for Como Crocodiles in the Cronulla A-grade competition.
Brought to the Sharks on about $4000 a week, Cuthbertson has fallen out of favour with coach Ricky Stuart after a season of performances befitting a minimum wage player, not a big-money recruit.
"Ricky is not too happy with him," said a Sharks insider.
"He wants a lot more out of him and he will have to work hard to get back into the side."
A coach with a history of sending big-name players like Brett Seymour and Josh Hannay back to the park, Stuart opted to make Cuthbertson run around Scylla Bay Reserve in front of a handful of fans with the Sharks' Premier League side out of action with the bye.
Cuthbertson's manager Andrew Purcell said the Manly recruit was disappointed with his axing from the NRL team but was determined to make it back into the side that was beaten by Canterbury at Gosford last weekend.
"Ricky wants him to play some minutes and there was no other way to get him out on the field," said Purcell.
"I think he just doesn't fit into their system at the moment with what they are trying to do. They knew what they wanted when he came across from Manly but things have changed."
Cuthbertson was recruited as a damaging ball-playing bench forward but Purcell said Stuart now wanted him to become an 80-minute player.
"He wants him to play more minutes and become a more durable player," Purcell said.
"He didn't come there as an 80-minute player and he is working hard to develop other parts of his game. He is not the Kade Snowden or Luke Douglas type but Sticky wants him to develop in those areas."
Purcell said his client had no desire to seek an early release from his contract.
"He is there next year too and he will just get on with the job. I haven't had a player yet that has had a year without some sort of bad news."
But it was all good news for Como, who beat bitter rivals Sutherland-Loftus 18-16.
"They weren't too happy that he played but we were," Como Crocodiles president John Mannah said.