Cronulla Sharks captain Dale Finucane has revealed that a contributing factor to his and Nicho Hynes’ move to the Sharks was the similarities between coach Craig Fitzgibbon and Melbourne's Craig Bellamy.
Finucane and Hynes have made an instant impact on the Sharks and after Round 9, Cronulla sits in fourth place and have been one of the most exciting teams to watch this season.
Finucane said that he and Hynes were sold almost immediately by Fitzgibbon’s pitch which was the most exciting of all the teams the pair had spoken to.
“After the pitch Craig Fitzgibbon had given to us, we were both really excited to hear what he had to say,” Finucane said on 1170 SEN.
“Out of all the options we had, that was where we could see ourselves being successful because it was similar to what we had come from at the Melbourne Storm.
“Craig Fitzgibbon was a defensively-minded coach and he had obviously had some success at the Roosters.
“It’s no surprise that that was the mentality he was going to bring to the club.
“It’s not too dissimilar to Craig (Bellamy).”
The Sharks were predicted to move up the ladder in season 2022 due to their off-season signings but they have now firmly put themselves in the conversation as contenders.
Finucane said that the Sharks have been far more cohesive than anyone could have expected but that there is still a large gap between them and the best teams in the competition.
“We have probably gelled a little bit quicker than expected.
“You don’t want to get ahead of yourself too early.
“We’re tracking quite well but the biggest thing to tighten up is our consistency in defence.
“We were competitive against the Storm, but they did end up piling on 34 points on us.
“Against those really quality sides, we need to keep it as tight as we can.”
The Sharks take on the Canberra Raiders on May 15 during Magic Round.