While Craig Fitzgibbon will look back on this season as a missed opportunity after slumping out of the finals in straight sets — the Sharks’ 2022 campaign was overall a success.
Cronulla powerbrokers took a gamble on a rookie coach and an unproven halfback in Nicho Hynes.
While Fitzgibbon was billed as the next coach in waiting, many were sceptical the former Roosters assistant would deliver in his first season.
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Others questioned the Sharks’ roster, believing they didn’t have the depth to compete with the big guns.
Fitzgibbon was tasked with bringing Matt Moylan, Andrew Fifita and Wade Graham back to their best, whilst also having to integrate new signings Dale Finucane and Cameron McInnes alongside Hynes.
Pressure was on the Sharks after John Morris was sensationally sacked in 2021 — but against the odds, they delivered.
Fitzgibbon became the first rookie to finish in the top two since Trent Robinson in 2013 as Cronulla jumped seven places on the ladder to finish second after the regular season.
Despite a “disappointing” finish to their season according to Fitzgibbon himself, things are looking up in the Sutherland Shire.
Read on for the Sharks’ end of season review.
2022 Record: Knocked out in semi-final. W18 L8 / 69.2% win record
Grading: A
What went right: The gamble of going all-in on an unproven coach and halfback. The decision to sack John Morris drew the ire of many, but it was proven to be the right one as Craig Fitzgibbon guided the Sharks to a top two finish in his debut season as an NRL head coach. Fitzgibbon has long been regarded the next big thing in coaching and he received interest from the Dragons a year earlier, but he waited for the right club to come along and it ended up being a match made in heaven. Fitzgibbon’s apprenticeship at the Roosters served him well as he became the first coach to finish the season in the top two since Trent Robinson — the man he learnt from — in 2013. He was credited for Matt Moylan’s form turnaround, he blooded a bunch of exciting rookies and up until finals he had turned the Sharks into a defensive juggernaut. Fitzgibbon also gave new half Nicho Hynes all the support he needed to live up to the expectations of not only being the club’s marquee signing, but also donning the No.7 jersey. Hynes made a name for himself as a fullback at the Storm, but Fitzgibbon saw the makings of a halfback and beat several clubs to land his signature. Hynes relished his new role, becoming one of the form players of the competition and a genuine chance to win the Dally M Medal. But it could have gone the other way. Sure, Hynes had a background in the halves in the lower grades, but other a game here and there for the Storm, he had never played halfback in the NRL. The 26-year-old knew he was walking into a pressure cooker this season and so employed a mindset coach to help him through it. He also said last month that he owes Fitzgibbon everything because he “instilled so much confidence” in him from day one in the Shire. Fox League’s Cooper Cronk went as far as calling Hynes the “buy of the season”.
“I think the most impressive thing about Nicho Hynes, it is his first full season in the NRL,” Cronk said to foxsports.com.au.
“And his first full season being halfback, at halfback you need to be good at a lot of things and to play finals you need to be great.
“The ability to set up tries and line breaks and his running game that he had at the Melbourne Storm, no one questioned that.
“But being able to run a team and the decision making in his kicking game, that is the one for me that has been the area that has really shown me this guy can be an elite player.
“He has put it all together so quickly, a lot of young halfbacks come in and try and play away from their strengths, Hynes plays to his, but has improved in areas that had question marks.”
What went wrong: Finals. From the top two to being knocked out of finals in straight sets, it was a fast and heavy fall for the Sharks. Their climb up the ladder came off the back of rock solid defence — something Fitzgibbon prioritised. The Sharks had only conceded 30 points or more in two games during the regular season, but that defensive resolve was missing in the finals as they conceded over 30 points in back-to-back weeks. A “bitterly disappointed” Fitzgibbon said after their semi-final loss that the defence was “not good enough for this time of year” and the team “got a lesson in fundamentals of footy.” Captain Wade Graham added: “Two scorelines in the finals over 30, you’re not going to win a regular season game let alone a semi-final when it’s all on the line.”
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What they need: A younger and more damaging forward pack. The Sharks are already moving in the right direction with veterans Andrew Fifita and Aiden Tolman departing, but Craig Fitzgibbon needs to improve his middle in order to unlock Cronulla’s attacking spine. Against the Rabbitohs, Fox League’s Gorden Tallis explained the Sharks’ forward pack was unable to lay the platform for Nicho Hynes and Matt Moylan to play the expansive brand of football they have become reliant on. “But they had no punch in the middle, they had nothing to play off, every time they tried it was off a slow play the ball,” Tallis said. “It is really hard to play off a slow play the ball.” Ennis echoed Tallis’ opinion but also suggested the Sharks are too heavily reliant on Hynes for his attacking output. “They need to take a look because they don’t have that big power game, they need to be able to have a game plan at times that isn’t so reliant on Nicho Hynes,” Ennis said. With young gun Oregon Kaufusi joining the club from the Eels, Fitzgibbon has kicked off his recruitment, and a number of other rising stars could be the solution. Hulking prop Tom Hazleton as well as Jesse Colquhoun both made their NRL debuts this season and will be itching to become permanent members of the starting 17. Meanwhile, Braden Hamlin-Uele, Royce Hunt, and Jack Williams will likely have bigger roles in the squad and be incredibly important for a strong middle forward rotation in 2023. Ennis also called upon dummy-half gun Blayke Brailey to showcase his attacking ability next season. Brailey recorded seven more try assists this season than in 2021, as well as 11 more line break assists. Ennis believes he can be the catalyst for a major improvement next season, to take the brunt of the attacking burden off Hynes. “I think Brailey, who we saw at different stages this year be given a license to be more active out of dummy-half and he is capable of that, he is a very creative dummy-half,” Ennis said. “That may be an area they can look at in terms of controlling their attack to try and provide some variety in attack.”
Going: Andrew Fifita (TBC), Luke Metcalf (Warriors), Aiden Tolman (retirement)
Coming: Oregon Kaufusi (Eels)
Unsigned: Jayden Berrell, Mawene Hiroti, Franklin Pele
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