However, at the close of the 1991 season, Docking was told by the Sharks that his services were no longer required due to the club's financial problems, and although he was only 28, no other Winfield Cup club sought Docking's services for 1992.
As the 1991 season drew to a close, Docking received word from the Sharks that their financial woes had led them to let him go, and at just 28 years old, he found himself without a new team for the 1992 Winfield Cup season.