Breaking News: NRL Shocks Fans as Cronulla Sharks Coach Craig Fitzgibbon Suspended Today Over…

The Sharks have qualified for the play-offs in both seasons under coach Craig Fitzgibbon, but lost all three of their post-season clashes.

 

In fact, since their one and only premiership success in 2016, Cronulla have won just one of their nine finals appearances. That solitary victory came way back in 2018.

 

And winning finals is exactly why the club installed Fitzgibbon in the coach’s box.

 

Pre-Fitzgibbon, John Morris led a solid, if not spectacular, outfit that snuck into September in 2019 and 2020, exiting in an elimination final both years.

 

The club’s craving to climb higher up the ladder informed their ruthless decision to sack Morris just five weeks into the 2021 campaign, desperate to secure Fitzgibbon on a three-year deal from 2022.

 

Interim coach Josh Hannay steered the Sharks to a creditable ninth-place finish, missing the play-offs by just 33 points on for-and-against.

 

Fitzgibbon’s arrival rocketed Cronulla up the ladder to second spot in 2022.

 

However, an epic extra-time defeat to fellow bolters North Queensland then a limp loss to South Sydney ended the rookie coach’s maiden season on a bum note.

 

Last year, Fitzgibbon’s men finished sixth, before a frustrating 13-12 sudden-death elimination at the hands of the under-manned Roosters.

 

Cronulla’s inability to beat other top-eight teams isn’t confined to the month of September.

 

In 2023, the Sharks won just three of their 10 regular-season matches against other eventual finalists, and failed to beat any top-four finisher.

 

A year earlier, despite ending the home-and-away campaign in second place, they only claimed four of the nine games versus top-eight rivals.

 

Sprinkled among them are some crushing defeats, particularly last season.

 

Round five against the Warriors, when they threw away a 26-6 first-half lead on home turf. Magic Round against the Dolphins, who shot to a 30-nil edge inside 34 minutes, or Round 21 against the Sea Eagles, who opened up the same margin within 46 minutes.

 

A pair of late-season demolition jobs on the road at the hands of the Melbourne Storm (54-10 in Round 15) and the New Zealand club (44-12 in Round 20).

 

In the run into September, a 28-0 dismantling by Penrith and a 32-6 smacking by Newcastle.

 

But no result was worse than their last one against the Roosters.