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Craig Fitzgibbon is adamant he won t blow up a Cronulla roster with at least $4 million in contract calls to make, insisting the Sharks rising stars and existing playmakers can make up for missing out on Adam Reynolds. Fitzgibbon broke a self-imposed silence as the incoming Cronulla coach on Tuesday to defend the club s negotiations with Reynolds, who last week knocked back a lucrative $2 million-plus offer to sign with wooden spooners Brisbane for 2022. Speaking for the first time since taking on the Sharks post, albeit in a Roosters polo, Fitzgibbon covered the full gamut at Cronulla. From roster moves and scrum base options to the sacking of John Morris and pursuit of Craig Bellamy and why he chose to make his coaching debut in the Shire after knocking back several rival approaches in recent years. ....
Rugby League by Dean Ritchie Premium Content Subscriber only Cronulla chairman Steve Mace has defended the sacking of head coach John Morris, declaring: We have no regrets, none. And Mace even said he would debate any Sharks fan who doesn t believe new coach Craig Fitzgibbon can take the club to sustained success. Cronulla has lost four successive games since Morris dumping on April 13. The Sharks have been smashed over the past two matches by a combined score 88-14, following on from a loss to struggling Canterbury. Breaking a four-week silence, Mace insisted his board stood by the appointment of Fitzgibbon, a decision which saw Morris leave the club just a month into the season. ....
More than $3 million in salary cap money to spend, sponsors clamouring to get on board, a production line of local talent, regular finals contenders and a hierarchy with ambitions to become one of the NRL’s leading franchises within coming seasons. There s plenty of appeal to coaching Cronulla and Craig Fitzgibbon’s decision to reject previous approaches from the Knights, Warriors and Dragons to wait for the right job may prove to be wise if he takes charge of the club next season. Cronulla CEO Dino Mezzatesta met with coach John Morris and his agent, Chris Orr, on Monday after reports that the 40-year-old coach’s contract would not be extended beyond this season. They were assured that the Sharks were yet to make a call about his future. ....
Backing, not sacking, young coaches is what brings results A Set the default text size A Set large text size Replay A Set the default text size A Set large text size Reports coming out over the weekend that Cronulla head coach John Morris is just keeping a seat warm for Roosters assistant Craig Fitzgibbon show again how rough life is for an NRL coach. Morris has endured months of speculation about his role, clearly being fuelled in drops to media by people who would prefer he wasn’t there. The fans seem to back him, maybe driven by a sense of justice and fairness more than anything, but Morris would have to have known his card is marked during Sharks CEO Dino Mezzatesta and chair Steve Mace’s quixotic (and unnecessarily public) pursuit of Melbourne Storm icon Craig Bellamy. ....