2024 is the year Cronulla must salute in September for the first time under coach Craig Fitzgibbon.
CRONULLA SHARKS have one very simple new year’s resolution for 2024: win a final.
The Sharks have qualified for the play-offs in both seasons under coach Craig Fitzgibbon, but lost all three of their post-season clashes.
In fact, since their one and only premiership success in 2016, Cronulla have won just one of their nine finals appearances. That solitary victory came way back in 2018.
And winning finals is exactly why the club installed Fitzgibbon in the coach’s box.
Pre-Fitzgibbon, John Morris led a solid, if not spectacular, outfit that snuck into September in 2019 and 2020, exiting in an elimination final both years.
The club’s craving to climb higher up the ladder informed their ruthless decision to sack Morris just five weeks into the 2021 campaign, desperate to secure Fitzgibbon on a three-year deal from 2022.
Interim coach Josh Hannay steered the Sharks to a creditable ninth-place finish, missing the play-offs by just 33 points on for-and-against.
Fitzgibbon’s arrival rocketed Cronulla up the ladder to second spot in 2022.
However, an epic extra-time defeat to fellow bolters North Queensland then a limp loss to South Sydney ended the rookie coach’s maiden season on a bum note.
Last year, Fitzgibbon’s men finished sixth, before a frustrating 13-12 sudden-death elimination at the hands of the under-manned Roosters.
Cronulla’s inability to beat other top-eight teams isn’t confined to the month of September.
In 2023, the Sharks won just three of their 10 regular-season matches against other eventual finalists, and failed to beat any top-four finisher.
A year earlier, despite ending the home-and-away campaign in second place, they only claimed four of the nine games versus top-eight rivals.
Sprinkled among them are some crushing defeats, particularly last season.
Round five against the Warriors, when they threw away a 26-6 first-half lead on home turf. Magic Round against the Dolphins, who shot to a 30-nil edge inside 34 minutes, or Round 21 against the Sea Eagles, who opened up the same margin within 46 minutes.
A pair of late-season demolition jobs on the road at the hands of the Melbourne Storm (54-10 in Round 15) and the New Zealand club (44-12 in Round 20).
In the run into September, a 28-0 dismantling by Penrith and a 32-6 smacking by Newcastle.
But no result was worse than their last one against the Roosters.
Cronulla earned a home elimination final at the reduced-capacity PointsBet Stadium against a Tricolours line-up missing key men Daniel Tupou, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and Sitili Tupouniua.
The visitors then lost star outside backs Joseph Suaalii (head injury assessment) and Joey Manu (hamstring), as well as skipper James Tedesco to the sin-bin in the second half.
The Sharks led 12-6 after choosing to take a penalty goal in the 62nd minute, despite having their foot on their opponents’ throat.
Then rookie forward Siua Wong crashed over and Sam Walker drilled a drop-goal to snatch a stunning upset.
Moments after the curtain fell on the Sharks’ 2023 campaign, Fitzgibbon defended his troops in the post-game press conference.
“I think we’re starting to grow up as a footy team,” said the young coach.
“Things that everyone’s been happy to criticise us about, I think we’re starting to address those.”
Fitzgibbon was head-hunted to transform Cronulla from a good team into a great one. To date, he hasn’t achieved that mission.
Before a ball was kicked in 2023, the club extended his contract until the end of 2027 — a huge show of faith in what their boss is building.
There’s certainly plenty to like, including Nicho Hynes at the top of that list.
Hynes arrived from the Melbourne Storm at the start of 2022 in search of a playmaking opportunity, and has added a Dally M Medal, a State of Origin debut and two Kangaroos caps to his CV after two seasons in the black, white and blue number seven.
Outside him, the potent quartet of Sione Katoa, Jesse Ramien, Siosifa Talakai and Ronaldo Mulitalo have matured into one of the NRL’s premier three-quarter lines.
Throw in fullback Will Kennedy, whose hamstring prematurely ended his 2023 campaign, and hooker Blayke Brailey, who enjoyed a breakout season last year.
The pack is populated by dependable performers in their mid-20s — Toby Rudolf, Braden Hamlin-Uele, Briton Nikora, Teig Wilton, Oregon Kaufusi, Jack Williams, Royce Hunt, Thomas Hazelton — while Dale Finucane and Cam McInness add extra starch.
The knock on the Sharks, though, is their reliance on their gun halfback.
Matt Moylan’s departure to Leigh leaves even more of the creative burden on Hynes’ shoulders, and Wade Graham’s retirement sucks plenty of experience out of the dressing room.
Unheralded Dragons forward Billy Burns and ex-Bulldogs rookie Michael Gabrael are Cronulla’s only 2024 arrivals.
And although the signature of world-class Warriors enforcer Addie Fonua-Blake is a huge coup, he’s not arriving until 2025, and he won’t boost the Sharks’ playmaking stocks.
Fitzgibbon’s line-up still looks a little light on genuine attacking spark.
Look at the NRL’s top teams and the gold-plated A-graders filling the key positions of fullback, standoff, scrum half and hooker.
At Penrith, there’s internationals Nathan Cleary, Dylan Edwards and Jarome Luai. Melbourne have Cameron Munster, Jahrome Hughes, Harry Grant and Ryan Papenhuyzen when fit. The Roosters boast Australian captain James Tedesco plus Brandon Smith and Luke Keary.
The Broncos have the Reece Walsh-Adam Reynolds combination, Souths depend on Latrell Mitchell and Cody Walker, while the Warriors get Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad and Shaun Johnson.
Cronulla, on the other hand, have Hynes and a question mark.
Can Kennedy and Brailey reach that elite level? Will Braydon Trindall cement the number six jumper post-Moylan? Are young utilities Kade Dykes, Kayal Iro and Daniel Atkinson going to make a name for themselves?
Minus any X-factor signings for 2024, any growth is going to have to come from within.
The core of this squad have now played a lot of first grade together. They’ve proven their capacity to qualify for finals.
The Sharks are a steady side. But Fitzgibbon was specifically brought in to convert them into a silverware-threatening one.
The pass mark for 2024? A first finals win for Fitzgibbon at a minimum.
First published in Rugby League World magazine, Issue 492 (January 2024)
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