'I won't flinch' - Sharks coach seeks derby turnaround

Perth Now

a day ago

Preparing for a fierce local derby off the back of two heavy losses isn't ideal for any NRL coach.
But Cronulla coach Craig Fitzgibbon is confident his fifth-placed team can return to the consistent footy they showed earlier in the season when they play St George Illawarra on Thursday.
Defensive lapses have cruelled the Sharks in heavy losses to the Roosters and Warriors in the last two rounds and the coach wants to see improvement when the Dragons come to Shark Park.
Now in his fourth year as Cronulla coach, Fitzgibbon believes similar experience in dealing with form slumps has helped set him up to lead the Sharks out of their hole.
"I won't flinch, I believe in what I believe in," Fitzgibbon said on Wednesday.
"The game leaves clues and you are constantly learning, constantly trying to stay consistent in what you believe in so the team can stay consistent.
"Over the course of the last three seasons there's always been a period where we've had this and managed to take the outcome out of it."
The back line in particular has been a merry-go-round for Fitzgibbon this season and now centre KL Iro (pec) is set for another lengthy sideline stint just as winger Ronaldo Mulitalo returns from suspension.
Fitzgibbon has not once been able to call upon his five first-choice backs in 2025 but says utility Mawene Hiroti is the man to fill the gap once again.
"Mawene, when he played he's had a number of weeks with (Mulitalo) when KL was out earlier in the year so they've got a decent combination there," Fitzgibbon said.
"Having some familiarity when you lose a player to be able to bring in someone that's got a good relationship with that guy keeps your cohesion together."
The Sharks are one of the few NRL clubs not to lose any players to State of Origin duty but it hasn't stopped their worst two performances coming in the Origin period.
Fitzgibbon says capitalising on the Origin period isn't a focus for his team, he just wants them to return to the form that beat top four teams Canberra and Melbourne earlier in the year.
"Prior to the last two weeks, we've been in every game we've played," Fitzgibbon said.
"There's not been a single performance prior to that where we weren't competitive and playing the way I wanted to play.
"Consistency is the thing, not the period, we want to be a consistent team and the last two weeks haven't been."