Former NRL star Andrew Fifita has lifted the lid on the chaotic weeks building-up to the drought-breaking Grand Final win with the Cronulla Sharks in 2016, claiming he was denied the chance to win the Clive Churchill Medal.
Fifita made plenty of headlines going into the finals series after police investigated him for consorting with known criminals, and has cleared the air on the turbulent few weeks leading up to the 2016 big dance.
Fifita's close relationship with Kieran Loveridge came into focus, which stemmed back to his childhood, with Loveridge spending time behind bars for a one-punch attack leading to death in 2012.
After being investigated by police around his relationship with Loveridge, and visiting him behind bars, Fifita was in the media limelight during the prime of his career.
When featuring on the MAYDAY podcast, Fifita revealed he wasn't given a fair shot at any accolades during the backend of the NRL season following the off-field matters.
"I was humming in 2016. It was one of those years (where) behind closed doors at the Dally M mark, I was 13 points ahead of anyone in the whole group," he told Tigers star and host Terrell May.
"It was coming to that final point where I'm actually going to finally get this Dally M."
Fifita said he organised to have NRL tickets given to a Loveridge family during 2016, with police intervening in the final round of the regular season that year.
"The player was visited by members of the NSW Police earlier in the week and put on notice that he cease any further contact with Loveridge based on facts the Police had in relation to the latter's links to other criminal elements," a Sharks statement in September 2016 read.
"In talking with the Police, while emphasising that no allegations of unlawful behaviour have been levelled against Andrew, they confirm that they have issued a verbal warning because they are concerned about the potential for organised crime to infiltrate sport through criminal elements and for NRL players to be unwittingly drawn into that web."
The statement mentioned that police were also concerned about the letters he wore on his armband referring to Loveridge in matches during the season.
"I was one of the first to get done with it (consorting)," Fifita said.
"Especially with my team going so well, we get the chance to win the comp this week, and you do it right in the middle of training.
"We were training then two cops pulled me off the field.
"When I got home, detectives and raptor squad were raiding my house.
"When news broke, we were like caged animals in the house, all the media sitting out the front, waiting, interviewing neighbours."
Fifita also revealed Andrew Johns called him following the Grand Final, where he explained he wasn't allowed to be picked following the off-field noise.
"From that, I lost everything. I wasn't allowed to win Dally M. I wasn't allowed to win Prop of the Year. I wasn't allowed to win the Clive," he said.
"But I am grateful I was allowed to get that ring.
"On the way to Griffith, 'Joey' called me.
"He was just telling me, 'We weren't allowed to pick you. You should have got it, Andrew. It was a big thing, but you weren't allowed to win it.'
"For me, I don't care because if my team is winning, we are all winning, and that's the way I grew up. If I got two dollars, that means all my mates were eating hot chips with us.
"That was the mentality we had growing up."
Fifita recorded one of the most dominant displays in a Grand Final, including his famous try to put the Sharks in the lead.
Andrew Fifita scores a vital try in the 2016 #NRLGF! 🦈 pic.twitter.com/DXKf8MHFcm
— NRL (@NRL) September 27, 2023
The Clive Churchill was given to Luke Lewis despite many believing Fifita deserved the honour.
Fifita continued playing for the Sharks following their title victory in 2016, retiring at the end of the 2022 season.
