When Craig Fitzgibbon first took the top job at Cronulla, he told the players that wearing the Sharks jersey was a “badge of honour”.
Then Fitzgibbon turned to his backs and told them: “If you’re playing in the back five, you honour that badge by running hard and taking those tough carries.”
Will Kennedy, Sione Katoa, Kayal Iro, Ronaldo Mulitalo and Jesse Ramien are certainly doing that every week.
Ramien was named at No.22 on Tuesday but said he only needed to get through a fitness test on his left ankle today to be cleared to play against the Cowboys opposite former premiership-winning Shark Valentine Holmes.
What they lack in size and height, the Sharks backs make up for with heart and an appetite to work overtime.
Only the Panthers average more hit-ups and run metres than the Sharks’ ‘Fab Five’, according to Champion Data, helped largely by fullback Dylan Edwards who averaged 21 runs for 215m for the three-time premiers.
Fabulous Five: Jesse Ramien, Ronaldo Mulitalo, Kayal Iro, Will Kennedy and Sione KatoaCredit: James Brickwood
Sharks supporters know that if their side is to keep their season alive on Friday, it will largely come down to the work rate of their fullback, centres and wingers.
Nicho Hynes is the star act who receives most of the accolades, but this week he made a point of heaping praise on his outside backs.
“They run hard, and they run all day,” Hynes told this masthead. “They usually have 12-plus carries every week. When the forwards are running back, I’m sure they’re grateful to see those blokes charging it back from the backfield. I know I love seeing it.
“We don’t have those big, tall Maika Sivo [from Parramatta] and [Melbourne’s] Xavier Coates-type wingers who are more like front-rowers, but they are fast and strong and pride themselves on running hard and making their tackles. They’re powerhouses. I wouldn’t change them for anyone.”
Ronaldo Mulitalo will pose a threat on the left wing for Cronulla. Credit: James Brickwood
Kennedy, Ramien, and Katoa have played together since the under-20s, while Mulitalo and newcomer Iro have also known each other for years.
“Guys who were here in the past like Sosaia Feki and Val Holmes, they honoured the badge by running hard and doing their job, they were that real energy buzz for the team, and that’s what ‘Fitzy’ and ‘Pricey’ [assistant Steve Price] have always told us,” Kennedy said.
Ramien added: “If you’re in the back five at this club, you need to be willing to take those hit-ups, and not only take them, but want to take them. We pride ourselves on doing that, and we do it very well.”
Katoa, known for his acrobatic finishes, said while he started out loving scoring tries he now got more satisfaction out of a high work rate at the other end of the field.
“I never realised you had to make the tough carries – now it’s something that gives me more happiness than actually scoring tries,” Katoa said.
Mulitalo and Kennedy are both off contract at the end of next season and as much as they want to keep the backline together.
“We have something good going here, but we also understand it’s a business,” Mulitalo said. “For me personally, there’s no point thinking about [the future] when we haven’t proven anything. We need the runs on the board. We haven’t won a finals game. We have no leg to stand on at the moment, or have any bargaining [power].
“Yes, we’ve been alright throughout the years, but you need to get it done [in September].”
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