DavidM Posted April 13, 2021 Share Posted April 13, 2021 Was told he was being axed as Sharks coach and walked out immediately . Craig Fitzgibbon in as new coach next season . Josh Hannay to hold the fort for now . Seems a pretty rough call , he’s done a steady job in not easy circumstances there . Apparently he was being led to believe he’d be retained , but ultimately he isn’t . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Posted April 13, 2021 Share Posted April 13, 2021 Article I read says they have removed him as they are plotting to be a top four outfit. Pretty strange timing. Still who knows what goes on behind the scenes in clubs? I'm assuming that Morris thought that if they didn't want him in the future why bother to stay around now? Of course its not as simple as that as he needs to work and get paid for it. The Australian Rugby League Forum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Posted April 13, 2021 Share Posted April 13, 2021 Quote The axing of Morris is one of the most callous in years. He remains popular with the Cronulla playing group and has far from lost the dressing room. The rookie coach had to deal with $353,000 stripped from the Sharks salary cap for his first two years in charge in 2019 and 2020, after breaches made during Shane Flanagan's tenure. Despite all that, he has still taken the club to the finals in both his campaigns at the helm. (Wade Graham - Club Captain speaking earlier) "I feel like if the decision [to re-sign him] was going to be made, it should have been made already," Graham said. "He has certainly done a commendable job over the years already. "He walked in on not a good situation, the roster was squeezed with how it was assembled, with the salary cap fine, all the injuries he's had to deal with, all the debutants. Graham also declared he had no doubt Morris could take Cronulla to the next level, despite losing results against the NRL heavyweight teams. "I feel like definitely, he has the potential to be a top-four coach for sure," Graham said. "He has done a good job over the past couple of years. He's had many challenges to deal with and he's overcome those and we're improving as a team." The Australian Rugby League Forum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoubleD Posted April 13, 2021 Share Posted April 13, 2021 Strange call, you never know what rumbles beneath the surface but seems pretty harsh on the face of it. I would've put money on other coaches getting the chop before him! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THE RED ROOSTER Posted April 14, 2021 Share Posted April 14, 2021 I told ya, John Morris could take the Sharkies to a certain level but no further. If your ambition is to make the 8 each year he's your man. If your ambition is not only to be in the 8, but win the Premiership and become a centre of excellence like the Storm and the Roosters then Craig Fitzgibbon is the man. Quote When the pinch comes the common people will turn out to be more intelligent than the clever ones. I certainly hope so. George Orwell You either own NFTs or women’s phone numbers but not both Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Posted April 14, 2021 Share Posted April 14, 2021 So is Craig Fitzgibbon the man? Is he as sure a bet as you say? I hope he is for the Sharkies sake... Quote Fitzgibbon is regarded as the best of the rookie coaches in the NRL. He is renowned for his role as the Roosters defence coach, but his ability to connect with players on a level beyond rugby league is also part of the appeal. So he has his strengths which might well do the job needed at Sharks. Time will tell if he can match John Morris or surpass him. I don't see it as a given though. From what was said above he will need to get them to be a top 4 club to be regarded as a success/improvement. Now that's a tough call given the competition at the top. The Australian Rugby League Forum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Posted April 14, 2021 Share Posted April 14, 2021 I'll go with the tenor of the argument of this article: https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl-premiership/teams/sharks/nrl-2021-ben-ikin-hails-red-flags-for-new-cronulla-sharks-coach-burning-issues-for-craig-fitzgibbon-as-he-replaces-john-morris/news-story/9e80e2016aa192e747a982bc8cf88a15 The Australian Rugby League Forum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Futtocks Posted April 15, 2021 Share Posted April 15, 2021 13 hours ago, Graham said: I'll go with the tenor of the argument of this article: https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl-premiership/teams/sharks/nrl-2021-ben-ikin-hails-red-flags-for-new-cronulla-sharks-coach-burning-issues-for-craig-fitzgibbon-as-he-replaces-john-morris/news-story/9e80e2016aa192e747a982bc8cf88a15 Some good points there. As for Fitzbibbon, back when he was still a player, I always expected he'd have a future in coaching. But he could be walking into a minefield. Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted. Ralph Waldo Emerson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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