They have been labelled ‘flat track bullies’ and ‘pretenders’ in 2023, however the Sharks are working laborious to “prove them all wrong” beneath Craig Fitzgibbon.
A Sam Walker area purpose dumped them out of the finals race in week one final season, solely 12 months after flunking out in straight units in 2022 after losses to the Cowboys and Rabbitohs.
Cronulla misplaced seven of their 10 video games in opposition to groups that completed within the high eight final season, with their defence rearing its head as a giant difficulty.
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Against high eight groups they conceded 25.8 factors, whereas they solely conceded 17.1 factors per sport while boasting a powerful attacking common of 25.7 factors throughout all groups.
But now, with Fitzgibbon’s finals report sitting a 0-3 after his two years in cost, how can the Sharks make a cost to the grand ultimate?
“The only thing we can do, they can say all they want, we can tune in or tune out, but that conversation is always going to be there,” Toby Rudolf mentioned to foxsports.com.au.
“But all we can do is just improve, we have to come together as a team and not let the outside noise creep in. We just have to get better at training.
“That’s all you can ever do, there’s literally no secret recipe that is alluding us as to why we’ve been unsuccessful in certain areas of the year.
“There’s no reason why this year can’t be our best season yet.”
Both celebrity halfback Nicho Hynes and skilled prop Braden Hamlin-Uele echoed Rudolf’s sentiment and defined nobody has considered their finals report.
Instead, they’ve targeted on the season forward and rallying after dropping their most skilled participant in veteran backrower Wade Graham.
“It’s a new year right, I feel like it’s hard to explain without giving too much away on what we really feel about it,” Hynes mentioned.
“Look we aren’t worried about it, it’s a new year, it’s in the past now and we will go out there and prove them all wrong this year hopefully.”
“Everyone’s going to have their opinion aren’t they,” Hamlin-Uele added.
“Everyone’s entitled to it, but we aren’t here to prove anyone wrong. All we are here to do is prove our believers right.
“Whether you are Penrith, winning a three-peat, there’s still going to be people bad mouthing them so there’s no point in even worrying about it.
“People are going to say what they are going to say… but we are going to keep walking tall no matter what, our belief is still there in Fitzy.”
Their help of Fitzgibbon additionally hasn’t waived, and all three stars stay adamant the legendary Roosters ahead is the person to ship a premiership to the Shire.
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Cronulla’s draw over the previous two seasons has additionally been thought of a “rails run” to finals soccer, solely including extra strain to ship come post-season soccer.
But Rudolf defined: “Fitzgibbon isn’t the one on the field playing, that’s us”.
“We’re the ones that have to stick to the game plan he provides. We are the ones that have to defend the way he’s instructed and not leak so many points throughout the finals runs we’ve had so far,” he added.
“Fitzy is the man for the job, we all back him and I love playing for him and I know everyone is exactly the same so we have just got to be better.”
Meanwhile, Hamlin-Uele hailed Fitzgibbon’s means to be personable along with his gamers, boasting a relationship with the prop he hasn’t skilled with a coach previously.
“He’s a coach that coaches the person first, he makes sure you’re okay as a person and then as a player. I’ve never been able to talk to a coach about off field things,” Hamlin-Uele mentioned.
“But to finally have that with Fitzy, it’s massive. There’s a time for work and then there’s a time to drop the shoulders and just be easy, not be too uptight.
“He brings that belief in us, he makes sure we know he believes in us. From top to bottom, shaking everyone’s hands, he has brought that belief in the group.”
Now, in Hynes’ personal phrases it’s “about putting the performances on because he’s given us all the tools, all the reasons to be a great team”.
Here foxsports.com.au breaks down all the important thing elements for the Sharks heading into the 2024 season!
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STRENGTH
Their exterior backs. The Sharks again 5 is loaded with expertise, boasting two of the competitors’s finest centres and deadly try-scoring wingers. Jesse Ramien is among the NRL’s finest ballrunner and his partnership with Sione Katoa has proven time and time once more to be harmful. Meanwhile, Ronaldo Mulitalo is a New Zealand consultant and has scored 38 tries throughout the final two seasons. Throw within the combine Siosifa Talakai, who has beforehand performed for the NSW Blues, and Craig Fitzgibbon isn’t in need of firepower. At fullback, Will Kennedy definitely has competitors. The 26-year-old was on hearth earlier than an damage hampered him on the back-end of the season, however younger gun Kade Dykes can be scorching on his tail. The 22-year-old made his NRL debut in 2022 however suffered a knee damage that noticed him sit out for your entire 2023 marketing campaign. Dykes is clearly a proficient participant and might be pushing for a spot within the No.1 sooner or later.
IT’S A BIG YEAR FOR
Braydon Trindall. The gun five-eighth cemented a spot within the Sharks backbone in 2023, changing skilled playmaker Matt Moylan. Fitzgibbon has put his religion within the 24-year-old to be Hynes’ long-term halves companion and if the 2024 All Stars sport is something to go by, he’s prepared to fireside. Trindall received the Preston Campbell Medal for participant of the match, recording two strive assists in opposition to a red-hot Maori All Stars facet. The five-eighth did a prolonged apprenticeship in NSW Cup earlier than changing into a primary grade common, enjoying 43 video games for the Newtown Jets throughout 5 seasons alongside his 51 NRL appearances. Now Fitzgibbon can be determined for him to excel in 2024, hopefully permitting Hynes to do the majority of the organising so Trindall can utilise his strong operating sport.
WHO’S UNDER PRESSURE
The props. With Addin Fonua-Blake arriving on the membership in 2025, each entrance rower can be determined to stamp their mark and cement a spot within the facet throughout the subsequent 12 months. Cronulla have quite a few spectacular props on their books, together with Braden Hamlin-Uele, Jack Williams, Oregon Kaufusi, Royce Hunt, Tom Hazelton and Toby Rudolf. Generally Fitzgibbon selects 4 to 5 gamers who can play within the entrance row in his 17, which means at the least two of those gamers will miss out on choice. Hamlin-Uele and Rudolf battled accidents final 12 months, whereas Hazelton emerged as one of many membership’s finest impression gamers. Williams can be and not using a contract for the 2025 season and can be determined to carry out and earn himself an extension. Regardless, one participant can be compelled out of the facet with Fonua-Blake’s arrival.
THE RISING STAR
Tom Hazelton. The Sharks new cult hero. Every workforce wants impression off the bench and Hazelton is the right injection of brute pressure, cementing his spot on the pine in 2023. The 25-year-old performed 18 video games final 12 months, including to his singular look the 12 months prior in a real breakout season. Hazelton is adored by Cronulla’s followers and if he continues to enhance will solely get higher and his teammate Braden Hamlin-Uele is backing him to doubtlessly win a beginning spot in 2024. “I’m so proud of him. I’ve known him for a few years now and to see his progression, it’s been pretty fast but really amazing,” he mentioned. “He’s are available and he hasn’t put a foot fallacious and he’s gone and proven what he can do… he has all of the instruments to begin.
THE UNLUCKY ONES
Kade Dykes and Kayal Iro. At many different golf equipment these two proficient exterior backs would doubtless get extra probabilities to point out their expertise. Dykes, in his two video games, was very spectacular in 2022 and lots of pundits believed he would push Kennedy out of the No.1 jersey in years to return. However, his progress has been set again by 12 months on account of a knee damage, however many golf equipment could be determined to have a expertise like him on their books. Meanwhile, Iro, who has performed one NRL sport up to now in 2022, has been certainly one of NSW Cup’s most constant performers and received the competitors’s participant of the 12 months award that very same season. Iro has the flexibility to play in a number of positions within the exterior backs and will now be subsequent in line following Connor Tracey’s departure. However, he’ll as soon as once more should bide his time in 2024 and await his alternative.
BEST 17
1. Will Kennedy
2. Ronaldo Mulitalo
3. Siosifa Talakai
4. Jesse Ramien
5. Sione Kato
6. Braydon Trindall
7. Nicho Hynes
8. Toby Rudolf
9. Blayke Brailey
10. Braden Hamlin-Uele
11. Teig Wilton
12. Briton Nikora
13. Dale Finucane
14. Cameron McInnes
15. Tom Hazelton
16. Royce Hunt
17. Jesse Colquhoun
Source web site: www.foxsports.com.au
