“Pure professionalism at its best”.
That is the philosophy Craig Fitzgibbon has implemented at the Sharks according to NRL legend Cooper Cronk.
The rookie coach has delivered on the hype after years of being billed as the best coach-in-waiting, sitting only two games away from a grand final appearance.
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Fitzgibbon had a glittering career as a player which saw him win a premiership in 2002, a Clive Churchill Medal and record 18 Tests for Australia.
His “integrity” and “honesty” on the field saw him transfer into coaching seamlessly, with Cronk spending two seasons under him as Roosters assistant.
Fitzgibbon won three premierships at the Tricolours as defensive coach, which triggered offers from the Dragons and Warriors — but the former NSW star was biding his time.
Sharks fans were outraged when John Morris was sacked in April last year, with The Daily Telegraph’s Buzz Rothfield labelling the move “disgraceful”.
After top eight finishes under Morris in 2019 and 2020, his sacking left something of a sour taste in the mouths of the Conulla faithful.
If only they knew what was to come as Fitzgibbon became the first rookie coach since Trent Robinson in 2013 to guide his new club to a top two finish.
Here foxsports.com.au analyses Fitzgibbon’s stunning rise to the top of the coaching crop.
THE FIRST BIG CALL
Fitzgibbon knocked back several offers from rival clubs during a nine-year stint under Trent Robinson at the Roosters.
Speaking earlier this year, Fitzgibbon revealed the Cronulla job “just felt right” after rejecting the Dragons, who had a vacant job after Paul McGregor’s sacking and the Warriors, who were searching for Stephen Kearney’s replacement.
“I honestly felt like I wasn’t ready to be honest, you’ve really got to be sure,” Fitzgibbon said on SEN 1170.
“It’s a big role, I didn’t want to underestimate how big the job is and how big the role is.
“I didn’t want to do a club a disservice just because I wanted to jump in and do something, so I wanted to be sure there. It just felt right, it felt really right.”
There is one big reason why the Cronulla job was the perfect fit for Fitzgibbon — his father, Allan.
Allan Fitzgibbon coached the Sharks between 1988 and 1991, so Craig was all too familiar with the organisation.
According to Cronk, the Sharks newest coach has connected the players with the history of the club and the Sutherland Shire.
Fitzgibbon himself was a part of that history, playing a role as a ball-boy while his old man led the troops in the ARL.
“The thing he has done well at the Sharks, people forgot Craig’s father coached at the Sharks in the 80s, so he has actually got a connection to the Sharks,” Cronk said.
“You talk to the players, they really respect that he has bought into the culture of the Shire and connected them back to the Shire itself, the place and the history of what they have done in the past.
“Craig Fitzgibbon has just gone about his business, he has connected his team to the Shire and its people and the region.”
While he clearly he now has the squad and fans on his side, it wasn’t always the case after the sacking of John Morris.
THE PRESSURE AND SCRUTINY FOLLOWING MORRIS’ SACKING
When Morris was shown the door, Cronulla fans were understandably shocked, while Sharks powerbrokers knew they had an “unrelenting” force ready to take over.
As a player, Cronk explained Fitzgibbon never “took a shortcut” and the 45-year-old has taken that mindset into the coaching arena.
It would have been easy for Fitzgibbon feel the pressure of being touted as the next best coach and the scrutiny surrounding Morris’ departure.
However, Fitzgibbon remained “authentic and real” and the playing group bought in.
“He has integrity, he is honest, he is someone you follow, he was captain of the Roosters for a long time,” Cronk said.
“The way that he played the game, he was unrelenting, honest and hardworking, and he coaches that way and players see the authenticity in that.
“It is important when a coach gets up the front of the room and says you must do this, you must work hard and you can’t take shortcuts, that it is authentic and real. Craig Fitzgibbon, as a player and as a coach, his training standards are through the roof.
“The Roosters boys always talk about how Craig Fitzgibbon as a player never missed a rep, if he had to do four sets of 10 bench press, he always did all 10. He never took a shortcut, pure professionalism at its best.
“As a coach, I know he trains the house down, I know he is in the gym at 5am before anyone is in there and he is probably on the computer at 6pm when the players are leaving.
“There is a bit of that follow me mentality, he has just taken the approach that he had as a player that got him to the highest levels, he has taken those philosophies and applied it to coaching — The players see it, and they believe it and they are listening to him.”
Roosters coach Trent Robinson predicted Fitzgibbon’s rise earlier this season, joining the chorus of former teammates who have vouched for his character.
“He is as sure as I have seen any person in their character as a person, he doesn’t have to shift into someone different, he doesn’t have to create a character to become a head coach.” Robinson said to the SMH.
“The thing is, Fitz is aware of what’s coming. He won’t be immune to what’s coming, you can’t be immune to it. But he knows what’s coming and he’s as ready as anyone has ever been to face that. It won’t make it any less difficult, but he knows what is ahead of him.”
Echoing Robinson’s opinion, Cronk said Fitzgibbon is “stoic” in his beliefs and “unrivalled” on his path.
RECRUITMENT
Fitzgibbon wasted no time getting his fingerprints all over this roster. In fact he started pulling the strings long before he arrived at Shark Park.
Cronulla stunned rivals by snaring the signature Nicho Hynes on a now bargain $1.8m deal while Dale Finucane, Lachie Miller and Jayden Berrell were also brought in after Fitzgibbon was unveiled as the new coach last year.
The Sharks were crying out for a halfback to marshall the troops, and Fitzgibbon saw Hynes as the solution when others questioned his playmaking ability.
After playing fullback for Melbourne, and having minimal experience as a No.7, the 26-year-old took to the role like a duck to water, and Cronk believes he is “easily” the signing of the year.
“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.”
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Finucane’s signing was also crucial to bringing a steely and “professional” attitude to the Sharks — and the former Storm enforcer has become an “extension” of his new coach.
“While Nicho Hynes has probably been the buy of the season in terms of output and influence on the game, Finucane has been the buy of the season in terms of Monday to Friday preparation,” Cronk said.
“He has become an extension of Fitzgibbon, Dale Finucane, personally playing with him, in the gym and at training – talk about never missing a rep.
“He always did overs as opposed to unders, he would be the quintessential example of how to be a professional.
“The way you see him play is the way he goes about his training during the week, it is probably a very good example for the rest of the Cronulla team.
“If you want to be a premiership winner, in the middle of the field, that is how you go about it.”
Fitzgibbon also has Matt Moylan and Andrew Fifita back to their best, while Rugby Sevens recruit Lachie Miller is clearly a star in the making.
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DEFENSIVE RESOLVE
It wasn’t just the roster where Fitzgibbon has made his mark.
Using his experience as the Roosters defensive coach, Fitzgibbon has masterminded a stunning turnaround in Cronulla.
The Sharks conceded 4.04 tries per game in 2021 (7th most) and 23.7 points (7th most) but have seen a drastic improvement this season.
Now Cronulla sit third and second in those respective categories and have also drastically decreased their missed tackles from 34.42 last season to 28.68 per game.
Cronk believes Fitzgibbon made defence the “crystal clear” focus which has in turn allowed the Sharks playmakers to excel on the attacking end.
“When it comes to the football side of it, defence is the hardest part of the game and he will take no questions or hesitations, there is no negotiating when it comes to defence,” Cronk said.
“He understands that’s what wins competitions and he has really made that crystal clear. On the other side, he has given them a lot of freedom in attack and given the players
confidence to express themselves.
“The way Nicho Hynes and Matt Moylan have connected, they play laterally really well but have some really straight runners, Nikora, Talakai, Ramien.
“So it is a bit of a contradiction, defence is crystal clear, black and white, but then the attack side is freewheeling and the players have taken to it.”
The partnership of Hynes and Moylan, under Fitzgibbon, has flourished — which has seen a stark increase in attacking stats.
Cronulla now lead the NRL for line breaks and tackle busts, after sitting in seventh and ninth in the 2021 season.
It’s the platform on which the Sharks and Fitzgibbon have built their season, one that regardless of what happens on Saturday night must be considered a success.
