"Not fact": Fitzgibbon rejects Sharks' flat track bully status

Cronulla coach Craig Fitzgibbon has expressed his gratitude to remain with the Sharks following the signing of a two-year contract extension.

On Wednesday, the 48-year-old extended his tenure on the Shire until 2029, showing the club’s faith in his abilities.

Joining the Sharks in 2022, Fitzgibbon has turned the side into a consistent performer, having yet to miss finals during his four seasons.  

Speaking on the decision, the 48-year-old admitted to being in conversation for a little while with club officials to get the deal done.

“Well, we've been sort of in discussions for some time now,” he told SEN’s Kick Off.

 “They felt like it was important to get something down.

 “Obviously...with a number of players off contract, it makes sense to have some stability there and make decisions in a bit more of a strategic sense.

 “So, I was grateful for the opportunity from the club and the board to extend, and yeah, it just felt right.”

While their consistency in the home and away season has made the Sharks a perennial contender, they have been unable to turn that into final success.

Having yet to make the Grand Final despite back-to-back preliminary finals in 2024 and 2025, there has been a notion that Cronulla are flat-track bullies.

That has only been reinforced this year, having lost to fellow finals contenders in the Panthers and the Dolphins, whilst smashing the Titans.

This tag is something that Fitzgibbon rejects, noting the side’s record over the last two years.

“I don’t understand what data there is around that,” he explained.

“We have to be beating someone if we get to the prelims.”

But he does concede that there are challenges for the side to overcome.           

“The team we haven’t beat which is Penrith, that’s a fair criticism, and we haven’t got past the prelim, that’s absolutely fair (criticism),” he added.

“We’re all in the business of winning premierships and the business of getting the big one, and we haven’t been able to do that.

“But to say we haven’t beaten top teams…well, we have to get there (to the preliminary finals).

“So, it’s actually not fact.”

The Sharks are off to the nation’s capital this week to take on the Raiders at GIO Stadium.

Kick off takes place on Sunday at 4:05pm AEDT.