Outgoing Cronulla Sharks prop Andrew Fifita has revealed he is "confident" of landing a new NRL deal.
Fifita elected to make this year his last in the Shire. Off-contract at the end of 2022 and with the club bringing through a host of forwards led by Royce Hunt and Braden Hamlin-Uele, but also featuring the likes of Jesse Colquhoun and Thomas Hazleton, Fifita elected to depart the club that he won a drought-breaking premiership with in 2016.
Despite that, the 33-year-old isn't ready to hang up the boots, and while he told Fox Sports that there has been interest from the English Super League, he revealed conversations are also ongoing in the NRL and he hopes to land a deal.
Fifita has played 250 NRL games, and will make it 251 on Saturday evening when the Sharks take on the South Sydney Rabbitohs in a sudden death semi-final, with Fifita to once again come off the bench in the clash alongside the retiring Aiden Tolman.
The veteran prop said that all contract negotiations are with his manager for now, and that an off-field role will be available for Fifita at the Sharks when he does retire.
Fifita said that winning a premiership could change his mind, but if he commits to another club he will follow through regardless of the premiership outcome.
“That will be another talk, I’ll sit down with the wife and see how we go,” he told the publication.
“If I do commit to another club though I will (play on), because I know they would be signing me for a reason with the mentoring I want to do with the young players.”
Andrew is treading on thin ice with that attitude.
In the Shire he is loved as a big larrikin who has lived, breathed and bled black, white and blue for eleven seasons. If he stays in an off-field role he will still be loved. If he buggers of to some other club – even if for just one year – that nexus between Fifita and the Sharks and the fans in the Shire will be broken. They won’t love him any more (and he might also find that the anticipated off-field role disappears as well).
Andrew – you’ve got to accept that you can’t play for ever. Bite the bullet (even though it will break your heart) and quit now. Keep the love of the fans – don’t throw that away, you’ll never get it back.