“If you see your coach getting in the trenches with you, you just have a deeper respect”.
That mentality is exactly what made Craig Fitzgibbon an instant success when he arrived in Cronulla.
The Sharks’ rise to premiership contenders was a shock to the NRL world, but not his playing squad.
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After serving as Trent Robinson’s apprentice at the Roosters, and winning three premierships, offers were tabled from both the Dragons and Warriors.
But the former premiership-winning player and Clive Churchill medallist waited for the right opportunity and pounced after John Morris’ shock sacking in April last year.
Fitzgibbon then became the first rookie coach since Robinson in 2013 to guide his team to a top two finish — and it all came down to a “man before the player” mantra according to Dale Finucane.
“He’s obviously served a fair apprenticeship in his role at the Roosters, obviously having a great playing career as well,” Finucane said to foxsports.com.au.
“He’s learnt from a lot of great leaders in the game and obviously moulded that to create his own identity as a coach.
“I think he’s got some really great systems in place, he gives the assistants free reign with us in attack.
“The expectation that people may have had when he started, I think he has exceeded that I would say.”
“A lot of off-field stuff goes with it as well, he talks about ‘the man before the player’ and that’s something that he’s really big on.
“It’s no secret that if you’re a bit of a dickhead in the club you aren’t sort of going to last… being a good community man, helping others, those sorts of things instilled in people are values that are just as important when transferring to the field.
“That’s probably one of his biggest things, having that off-field presence, but then the intricacies that go with professional sport.”
Both Ronaldo Mulitalo and Siosifa Talakai heralded Fitzgibbon’s ability to stand by his players and be “unbreakable” in the face of adversity.
“Every team is out to get us and Fitzy knows that… you admired him as a player and his tenacity, he was a big tough man, but now he is a big softie so it’s a bit different to see this side,” Mulitalo said.
“His mindset, if you have a coach who is unbreakable, he jumps in and does the sand dunes with us, he never shies from it… he drags all the coaching staff in it as well.”
“He does a lot of work behind the scenes and no one really sees it but the players, he’s also brought a strong culture,” Talakai said.
“We never really had much of a culture here, we don’t have the best facilities for an NRL footy club, we are probably on the back-end of the luxurious side.
“He brought back the culture that Cronulla were known for, hardworking middle class team.
“He brought back a culture where we had a team full of battlers and we are willing to do anything for a brother… there’s no complaints, he humbled everyone.
“We knew we’d have to be willing to go to some dark places in order to play for the team.”
While the Sharks shocked the NRL world by finishing in second place, the playing squad believe they let go of a prime opportunity in 2022.
With only 30 seconds left on the clock in the first week of the finals, holding a 30-24 lead over the Cowboys at Pointsbet Stadium — the unthinkable happened.
North Queensland enforcer Jason Taumalolo sliced through a hole and scored 10 metres from the goalposts, allowing Valentine Holmes to kick the conversion and send the game to extra time.
After 10 more minutes, the teams were still split — but Holmes once again stood tall, kicking a 40-metre field goal in the 93rd minute.
Cronulla had a second chance against the Rabbitohs, but were hammered 38-12 and Toby Rudolf believes his side were unable to recover from the shock loss only a week earlier.
“All I know is after the Cowboys game we were told that there’s still a week to go and we can still get back on track,” Rudolf said.
“But it was so hard to bounce back from that loss if I am being completely honest, a loss like that at home in front of a sold out crowd, 30 seconds away from a prelim.
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“We went back to the drawing board and looked at what we could do better, but we just didn’t execute as a team unfortunately.”
While the season could be seen as a success, with Cronulla failing to finish in the top four since 2017, Mulitalo believes Fitzgibbon will be disappointed and seeking more from his squad.
“We were pretty disappointed with how we finished the year, obviously with back to back losses and bowing out,” Mulitalo said.
“For him, and what he means for this club at the moment, I think just his calm head, he doesn’t flinch for anything, he is just a collected person, he treats us like grown men.
“He just has this philosophy, if you are going to act like a kid, there’s no place for you here and he has an understanding of the players having been there and done that.
“He understands our frustrations with the game and he always talks about how hard he works and how much he loves us, that’s the environment he has created.”
As is always the goal for every NRL club, the Sharks are looking to go two steps further this season and take a premiership trophy back to Shark Park.
“The plan is always to do better than last season and win a grand final, if you don’t want to win a grand final, what are you doing?” Rudolf said.
“I think on to this year after coming second in our first year together, I don’t see how we can’t do better and move forward as a team.”
STRENGTH
Their backline. Cronulla boast one of the most potent attacking back lines in the NRL, spearheaded by the Dally M Medallist.
Hynes is one of the NRL’s best players and makes everyone around him better, including halves partner Matt Moylan who enjoyed one of his best seasons in 2022, scoring five tries and playing 24 games after failing to feature more than 15 times in three seasons prior.
Meanwhile, wingers Sione Katoa and Ronaldo Mulitalo combined for a staggering 31 tries.
Siosifa Talakai had a breakout season at centre and his two try, two try assist performance against the Sea Eagles will surely haunt Morgan Harper for the remainder of his career.
His centre partner, Jesse Ramien, is also a pure attacking threat and a strong defender — making up one of the most dangerous duos in the competition.
WHO’S UNDER PRESSURE
Wade Graham. The veteran backrower has been a loyal servant of the Sharks for 12 years, playing 235 games for Cronulla. However, Graham has already revealed this season could be his last in the NRL and his role within the squad is set to be reduced. Graham was a regular starter but could now play a role off the bench, with Teig Wilton set to take over the left edge slot.
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THE RISING STAR
Teig Wilton. With Graham making way, Wilton is set to become a regular starter playing alongside the dangerous Matt Moylan on the left. The 23-year-old has played 45 NRL games since making his debut in 2020, scoring eight tries across three seasons in first grade. With more starting appearances and time to forge combinations with Cronulla’s impressive halves pairing, expect Wilton to become an attacking force to pair his strong defensive output.
THE UNLUCKY ONES
Kade Dykes. 2023 was shaping up to be a huge year for the young fullback and many pundits were expecting the Newtoewn Jets gun to push Will Kennedy for the fullback spot with Lachie Miller departing. However, it wasn’t meant to be for the 21-year-old who suffered a ruptured ACL in pre-season, ending his season before it began.
IT’S A BIG YEAR FOR
Siosifa Talakai. Few players across the NRL had a more career-defining season than Talakai. His switch to the centres was a revelation for the Sharks, and under Craig Fitzgibbon the former South backrower earned an Origin call-up for the Blues’ series loss. The 25-year-old now has the big job of overcoming second-year syndrome and will be desperate to back up what was an excellent 2022 campaign.
PREDICTED FINISH
4th: Preliminary final
BEST 17
SHARKS
1. Will Kennedy
2. Sione Katoa
3. Jesse Ramien
4. Siosifa Talakai
5. Ronaldo Mulitalo
6. Matt Moylan
7. Nicho Hynes
8. Toby Rudolf
9. Blayke Brailey
10. Braden Hamlin-Uele
11. Briton Nikora
12. Teig Wilton
13. Dale Finucane
14. Cameron McInnes
15. Oregon Kaufusi
16. Royce Hunt
17. Wade Graham
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2023 squad: Blayke Brailey (2026), Braden Hamlin-Uele (2024), Braydon Trindall (2025), Briton Nikora (2025), Cameron McInnes (2025), Connor Tracey (2024), Dale Finucane (2025), Jack Williams (2024), Jayden Berrell (2023), Jesse Colquhoun (2024), Jesse Ramien (2023), Kade Dykes (2024), Lachlan Miller (2023), Matthew Ikuvalu (2023), Matthew Moylan (2024), Mawene Hiroti (2023), Nicho Hynes (2024), Oregon Kaufusi (2024, MO 2025), Ronaldo Mulitalo (2025), Royce Hunt (2023, PO 2024), Sione Katoa (2023), Siosifa Talakai (2026), Siteni Taukamo (2024), Teig Wilton (2023), Thomas Hazelton (2024, CO 2025), Toby Rudolf (2024), Wade Graham (2023), William Kennedy (2023), Daniel Atkinson (2023), Max Bradbury (2024)
Development players: Josh Finau (2023), Kayal Iro (2024), Niwhai Puru (2024), Sam Stonestreet (2023)
2023 gains: Oregon Kaufusi (Eels)
2023 losses: Luke Metcalf (Warriors), Andrew Fifita (retired), Aiden Tolman (retired)
Coach: Craig Fitzgibbon (2024), Lachlan Miller (Knights)
