Reeling off the back of an embarrassing 54-10 loss to the Melbourne Storm on Sunday afternoon, the Cronulla Sharks are now officially at a crossroads.
I would go so far as to say this Tuesday's team list for next Sunday's clash at home with the Canterbury Bulldogs could decide the club's finals chances in 2023... And possibly beyond that.
I'm on record as saying that this Tuesday is the most important day in the club's recent history and could very well decide their not too distant future.
It may sound like hyperbole but given the Sharks recent record against the better sides, this Tuesday afternoon could reveal what kind of future awaits in the Shire.
Craig Fitzgibbon, this week, has to decide if he's going to be a coach or one of the boys
He cannot be both
We'll know on Tuesday 4pm whether he's got it or not
— Newtown Dan (@suthodan) June 11, 2023
It is no secret that the Sharks are a side who just can't match it with the big sides.
They were bounced out of the finals last season with a loss at home to the Cowboys followed up by a semi-final trouncing at the hands of the Rabbitohs after massively overachieving during the regular season and finishing in second place.
As it sits right now, depending on your definition of "top eight" side, the Sharks are yet to beat one this year.
Full disclosure, they beat Manly who currently sit in the top eight whilst they defeated the Roosters earlier in the season, who at the time sat in the eight.
This is all semantics though as the Sharks recent run against good sides is downright awful.
They were comprehensively beaten by the Broncos last Saturday night at home. This despite Brisbane naming four players backing up from Origin, while Selwyn Cobbo was missing through injury.
With everything to prove they traveled to Melbourne only to be played off the park and made to look like absolute pretenders.
The Sharks veteran players just haven't stood up to be counted this season, while their forward pack has routinely been bullied into submission.
The futures of Matt Moylan, Dale Finucane and Wade Graham are now very much in question.
Meanwhile Siosifa Talakai's form has fallen off a cliff in recent weeks, leaving his future in the centres up for debate.
Sione Katoa, Blayke Brailey, Teig Wilton, Oregon Kaufusi and Royce Hunt have also endured difficult times over the past few weeks.
In fact other than Nicho Hynes, Briton Nikora, William Kennedy and the rocks or diamonds Ronaldo Mulitalo, the Sharks have not been good over the past few weeks.
Summed up, the Sharks are in desperate need of change.
Luckily for the Sharks, their feeder club - The Newtown Jets, are absolutely flying. A huge win over fellow high flyers the Bears yesterday has them currently sitting atop the NSW Cup ladder.
Braydon Trindall has been best on ground in his past two appearances for the Jets, by some margin, and is simply too good to playing in reserve grade.
Connor Tracey was fantastic for the Sharks when called upon. He was brilliant yesterday for the Jets after sitting as 18th man last week.
Jesse Colquhoun has been bossing the middle for the Jets following his return from a long-term injury. He was more than capable in his short NRL stint at the back end of last year.
Meanwhile the Jets host two of the competition's flyers in Sam Stonestreet and Kayal Iro. Stonestreet has been a try scoring freak while Iro has routinely broken the line.
Rake Jayden Berrell is arguably the competition's most overqualified player and would walk into a number of NRL sides starting lineups.
I would be so close to bringing him in for Brailey. One more below par game and I'd make the change.
Unlike many other clubs currently in a form slump, the Sharks are blessed to have a plethora of players just begging to be called up to play first grade.
The big question though is whether or not young coach Craig Fiztgibbon has the stomach for the hugely needed mass overhaul. Does he have it in him to drop players with hundreds of games to their name?
Over the past two weeks I believe the decision has been taken out of his hands altogether.
This Tuesday afternoon absolutely has to ring in a host of changes in the Shire. If not, then Craig Fitzgibbon's stocks will massively fall.
Going back to a huge statement I made earlier, if Fitzgibbon names an unchanged lineup, then it could decide - in a negative way - the next few seasons for the Sharks.
As I type this, almost the entire top 30 of the 2023 season is re-signed for next season. Only Graham, Jayden Berrell and Mawene Hiroti are not penned for next year, while Teig Wilton is expected to re-sign this week.
Most of the squad are contracted beyond the end of 2024 too, with the Sharks set up with the nucleus of their squad to carry over long-term.
Cronulla Sharks contract database
One player who is off-contract at the end of 2024 is Matt Moylan.
His most major contribution this season has been dragging Teig Wilton down in defense.
If Fitzgibbon can't pull the trigger on the big, and obvious decisions, when his players are in dire form, then what would make you think he ever will?
Braydon Trindall in for the woefully out of form Matt Moylan is an absolute must. If Trindall isn't selected this weekend then he automatically becomes a target for the Wests Tigers who are now on the lookout for a halfback in 2024.
If Fitzgibbon doesn't consider Trindall a better option than current Matt Moylan, then Trindall best look elsewhere. My fear as a big Trindall fan is that he will.
Meanwhile Tom Hazelton simply has to return to the side. His being dropped this past weekend was criminal.
Jesse Colquhoun has to return to the top grade from the bench. A straight swap for Wade Graham makes the world of sense.
Although I still believe Talakai has a huge part to play in the Sharks 2023 season, you'd be hard pressed to convince me it's at centre.
His defense has been awful. A stint off the bench, in the middle or out wide, would be of huge benefit.
Conor Tracey's return to the top grade is imminent. This would mean you probably couldn't rush Iro or Stonestreet in, as tempted as you may be.
Dale Finucane should be named as unavailable, out of respect, due to a phantom injury. Cam McInnes is twice the player in 2023.
Royce Hunt suffered an injury yesterday which will likely rule him out. This is the only way Oregon Kaufusi could possibly hold onto his spot next week.
I fully expect to cop "do you think you know better?" replies in the comments ... if Fitzgibbon named an unchanged line-up this weekend, the answer is a resounding "Yes. Yes I could!"
Must name Sharks Round 16 line Up
1. William Kennedy
2. Sione Katoa
3. Connor Tracey
4. Jesse Ramien
5. Ronaldo Mulitalo
6. Braydon Trindall
7. Nicho Hynes
8. Braden Hamlin-Uele
9. Blayke Brailey
10. Thomas Hazelton
11. Briton Nikora
12. Teig Wilton
13. Cameron McInnes
14. Siosifa Talakai
15. Jack Williams
16. Jesse Colquhon
17. Oregon Kaufusi
I actually agree with almost everything you said with the exception of Kaufusi, he simply can’t be carried after a 3 run for 11 meters gained performance, Dale has to be picked over him on that performance. Katoa looks to be carrying an injury the last 2 weeks, he has grabbed at his shin or ankle and hobbled around a bit, I think letting him heal up gives Stonestreet a run on the wing next to Ramien and Tracey gets a run next to Ronnie at centre.
I agree with the backs forwards slightly different
8. Uele
9. Brailey
10. McInness
11. Talakai
12. Nikora
13. Wilton
14. Kaufisi
15. Hazelton
16. Colqhuon
17. Berrell
Dan, with Dale and Wade out, would you make Nicho the captain, or will he have just too much on his plate?
I’d make Cam McInnes captain, with Nicho to take over only when Cam is rotated off.
Whoops – hit the button too quickly !
A couple of other points.
1) “Young coach” Craig Fizgibbon is 46, (47 on Friday). A better description is “inexperienced head-coach” or “unproven head-coach”.
(As an aside, he’s coached 37 games at 65% win rate. Josh Hannay has coached 19 games at 42% for the Sharks, having taken the job under much more trying circumstances).
If Craig doesn’t show some cohones, then maybe Dino Mezatesta will show him how it’s done, at the end of the season.
2) I’d put Colquhoun on the bench for Talakai, and switch Sifa to second row in the reggies: with Iro coming through, Sifa’s long term future is not as a centre. Give him a change of faces and position and let him find his mojo again.
3) Your point about the roster is well made. It’s worried me that there is minimal scope for getting in new players without having to move on guys who have been contracted for several more years, and maybe pay some freight to do so.
Agree with all the above with my take as a Sharks fan. As a side, the Sharks lack genuine speed in the backs. They have two wingers who are great finishers & run ball back strong, but slow as a wet week as they get run down every time in the clear. Both wingers are also suspect under the high ball with mistakes in their games. Ramien has been average last few years & runs across field too much for my liking. Talakai not a real centre & is suspect in defense out wide. Moylan very average & suspect in defense. Forward wise, the Sharks dont have any mongrel or any metre eaters. Probably one of smallest packs in comp & got dominated by Storm in middle & all across the park. Maybe put Mcinnes in hooker for more impact? Two embarrassing losses in a row & pressure is on. For now I would agree with above named team, (not sure they would leave captain Finucane out) but one more loss & there should be mass changes. Maybe play the Jets team as the 1st grade team. One thing for certain Tracey needs be in top 17.
Agreed – big time!
There is something deeply wrong with Cronulla.
Their run to the finals last year to come extent camouflaged their failings when it came to beating the better sides but the Cows and especially Souths exposed their defensive failings.
To let in 69 points in two finals matches โ including one at home โ was a disgrace.
I expected the coach to flog them over summer.
By the looks of it he let them lounge around on a beach.
The same defensive deficiencies are apparent this โ but only worse.
They are great flat track bullies and look wonderful when tearing apart a lesser side but they cannot handle it when a good side, a tough side, sticks it to them.
The Raiders have done that to them for some years โ this year Stuart said: โWe know how to handle Cronulla.โ
Sadly he was spot on.
Plenty of other teams are doing the same now โ with ease.
I watch all of Fitzgibbonโs press conferences โ itโs the usual crap โ โweโve got to work harderโ etc.
And the journos are too soft โ I am one and Iโd be asking some much tougher questions that this lot who seem to not to want to offend him.
Crap.
One recent flashing warning sign was the shocking loss to the Dolphins.
Apparently they didnโt have the โright attitudeโ said Fitz, that they โmissed the jumpโ.
More crap.
How can they not get up for Magic Round?
The pack is a shambles.
Finucane is a dud buy โ big time.
I love Wade โ at his peak he was wonderful โ a hard hitting backrower with a dangerous short kicking game.
Now, heโs a shadow of what he was.
There is no punch, aggression or line speed โ or ferocity.
The softest pack in the NRL โ by far.
Moylan is being targeted by everyone โ and it takes no great coaching to aim runners between him and Wilton โ itโs a gap as wide as the heads.
Mulitalo is a muglair โ loves to put on a show โ sadly that show includes bombing tries, failing to defuse kicks and missing tackles.
Drop him now for Stonestreet or Iro.
Plenty of others need to be dropped too.
Will it happen? Nah. Thatโs not the Fitzgibbon way โ heโll just continue to mouth platitudes.
Who to bring in?
Anyone from Newtown.
The time to send a message is long, long overdue.
But hereโs the really bad news for Cronulla fans โ Fitzgibbon and the club have been very busy on the retention front.
They have retained and extended this bunch of losers for years to come so there is no chance of major roster changes.
Weโre stuck with these losers โ period โ happy days.
As for Nicho heโs magnificent.
Terrible yesterday sure but who wasnโt?
And not many halves can play off the back of a pack that wasnโt just beaten but clearly didnโt want to be there.
He should be filthy at his loser teammates who cost him a chance at a Blues jersey.
He wonโt be of course because heโs too good a bloke so I will be on his behalf.
For Cronulla fans all we can do is wait for the contract-extended Fitzgibbon and the team he built to depart.
Roll on 2029 โ or whenever that blessed year is.