Official Craig Fitzgibbon

[Pishposh46]

He wasn’t asked was he ? Tell me it’s not so

He wasn't asked by NSWRL, and won't be.

 

[apezza]

WHO ASKED!?

Billy Slater

 

[Sir Chadley]

WHO ASKED!?

@Western Sharkie did.

 

[Vichyssoise]

They should ask Tim Sheens... Hynes on the wing for Game 1.

 

[Vichyssoise]

Re Andrew Johns... We've had the Laurie Daley and Brad Fittler experiments, I reckon NSWRL has learned the lesson.

 

[Tiger Shark]

What’s equally annoying in the one hire we not only lose our origin coach but the Broncos will probably be good again

 

[Western Sharkie]

@Western Sharkie did.

 

[Sparkles]

They should ask Tim Sheens... Hynes on the wing for Game 1.

Bellamy. Goes out on a GF win then gets to scratch the coaching itch with Origin as his retirement hobby

 

[Gards]

I hope we have a tougher draw next year and play the likes of Melb and Penrith twice.

We need to keep testing ourselves against the top sides.

Agree, even if we lose all those games we will be battled hardened and better for the experience.

After we got pumped by pennies earlier in the year I said I wanted to play them again the very next week and go again and some posters said **** that, i'm nuts ect

But they are exactly the type of team we need to play more often and practice at to get closer to their level. Most of the teams outside the Top 6 vary between dross and ordinary, there is only so much we can learn from beating up on teams like that.

If we aren't good enough to make Top4 / Top8 playing the 2 best teams twice each in the same season so be it

Simply just making the finals hasn't been a goal in a fair while, we want to win more finals games and progress further and we need to play the best to make that next step. There is very likely to be a Storm or Panthers in our way in a Prelim next season too.

 

[bort]

Simply just making the finals hasn't been a goal in a fair while, we want to win more finals games and progress further and we need to play the best to make that next step. There is very likely to be a Storm or Panthers in our way in a Prelim next season too.

We've made finals 9 times in the past 10 seasons. Only one we missed we sacked our coach part way through and finished 9th

If we get easy draws a lot part of the reason is we have 0 games a year against Cronulla

But I agree with the sentiment we want to be a top 4 lock and legit title threat each year and consistent tough games will help with that.

We should have 5 or 6 games against Storm, Penrith, Roosters but the 'easy draw' thing goes both ways, that call was made including only 1 game against broncos who ended up being soft. Beyond saying those three are probably the top 3 teams it is hard to say for certain who else will be competitive.

 

[Proud Shark]

Is anyone still doubting his ability to get us up for big games? I thought the team was up for all 3 finals this year but just got outclassed by the two grand finalists.

 

[Gards]

We've made finals 9 times in the past 10 seasons. Only one we missed we sacked our coach part way through and finished 9th

If we get easy draws a lot part of the reason is we have 0 games a year against Cronulla

But I agree with the sentiment we want to be a top 4 lock and legit title threat each year and consistent tough games will help with that.

We should have 5 or 6 games against Storm, Penrith, Roosters but the 'easy draw' thing goes both ways, that call was made including only 1 game against broncos who ended up being soft. Beyond saying those three are probably the top 3 teams it is hard to say for certain who else will be competitive.

It's always gunna be a soft draw when you are a Top 4 team because half of the competition is trash, not our fault that

Although I would argue we play ourselves more than twice a year and usually come off worst from the encounter

Is anyone still doubting his ability to get us up for big games? I thought the team was up for all 3 finals this year but just got outclassed by the two grand finalists.

I think for the most part we have been up for all of our finals game under Fitz except for the one against Souths when I think we were just spent at that point after a tight game against Cows and got over powered.

Our losses have been down to not executing / getting outplayed less so an attitude thing

 

[Milkshark]

It's always gunna be a soft draw when you are a Top 4 team because half of the competition is trash, not our fault that

Although I would argue we play ourselves more than twice a year and usually come off worst from the encounter



I think for the most part we have been up for all of our finals game under Fitz except for the one against Souths when I think we were just spent at that point after a tight game against Cows and got over powered.

Our losses have been down to not executing / getting outplayed less so an attitude thing

I wouldn’t say the other teams are all trash.

If our draws allows us to only play Storm and Penrith once, and other teams play them twice, that’s the difference between making the top 4 or not

 

[Proud Shark]

I wouldn’t say the other teams are all trash.

If our draws allows us to only play Storm and Penrith once, and other teams play them twice, that’s the difference between making the top 4 or not

Us beating the Storm and Roosters in those games and others losing is also the difference. There are so many variables but overall I'm hoping for more games against stronger teams next year.

 

[Gards]

I wouldn’t say the other teams are all trash.

If our draws allows us to only play Storm and Penrith once, and other teams play them twice, that’s the difference between making the top 4 or not

It is but it doesn't have to be if we don't drop the wins we shouldn't like against Parra, Dogs, Dolphins ect but yea it's unrealistic to expect us to win every game outside of Storm and Panthers every season, even the 2 best teams don't manage that.

If we don't get the reps in against the best though and learn to match that level we are getting bundled out of the finals again anyway bar a fluke or one off big victory.

I think in 2016 we had managed to beat every club at least once over the regular season and finals with exception of Souths who were a non factor that year and didn't even make the 8.

Having said that the Panthers have lost to Storm twice already this year but they obviously get one last crack at them on Sunday and no one in the right mind would be suggesting the Panthers are not at the Storms level.

 

[bort]

I wouldn’t say the other teams are all trash.

If our draws allows us to only play Storm and Penrith once, and other teams play them twice, that’s the difference between making the top 4 or not

Not all but he didn't say all, he said half.

Highest non finals team were Raiders, if you take a game of Panthers and Storm off them... no they only played them once...

Okay next was Dolphins... okay they only played them once too..

Dragons? Okay they played Penrith twice but Storm just once... lets take second Penrith game off them and call it a freebie vs Tigers
No they played them twice already. Rabbitohs? Okay, only played them once. Take second Penrith game off Dragons and give them a win against Rabbitohs instead and now they finish... probably 9th. They were still trash.

Maybe Broncos... they have the same breakdown as dragons for those 4 teams, and maybe go up one ladder spot. Still trash.
You have to go all the way down to Eels to find a team in the bottom half who played both twice, and they played Tigers and Rabbitohs twice too.

Half the league were trash.

 

[Milkshark]

Not all but he didn't say all, he said half.

Highest non finals team were Raiders, if you take a game of Panthers and Storm off them... no they only played them once...

Okay next was Dolphins... okay they only played them once too..

Dragons? Okay they played Penrith twice but Storm just once... lets take second Penrith game off them and call it a freebie vs Tigers
No they played them twice already. Rabbitohs? Okay, only played them once. Take second Penrith game off Dragons and give them a win against Rabbitohs instead and now they finish... probably 9th. They were still trash.

Maybe Broncos... they have the same breakdown as dragons for those 4 teams, and maybe go up one ladder spot. Still trash.

Half the league were trash.

I don’t necessarily mean just this year mate. The past few years.

I’m not really comparing sharks to the rest of the comp. I’m just saying I think sharks have done well to finish higher on the ladder due to maybe an easier draw. When really they’re probably a top 8 team on the cusp of top 4 most years.

 

[bort]

I don’t necessarily mean just this year mate. The past few years.

I’m not really comparing sharks to the rest of the comp. I’m just saying I think sharks have done well to finish higher on the ladder due to maybe an easier draw. When really they’re probably a top 8 team on the cusp of top 4 most years.

Outside of this year whole different story, year on year, I mean, some amount of teams will always be trash of course. And one or two teams probably do miss the 8 vs those who scraped in on slight schedule differences.

We've certainly had 'not the hardest draw', which tbh is good. You probably don't want the hardest draw, that seems a bit extreme.

But how our draw looks gets made easier for same reason Penrith and Storm often have easier draws, not as many better teams to play against as weaker clubs.

Surely we haven't had a dramatically easier draw consistently for 10 years.

I'm actually surprised with how my previous post worked out, I was actually expecting it to be 'even then Dolphins only finish 8th instead' or something.

The best example of half the comp being trash was 2018! Top 4 16 wins, 5-8th 15 wins, then dropped all the way down to 12 wins, then down to 10 and fell from there. Real disparity that year. (and that year Mitchell Moses got Parra a spoon in his 5th year of NRL - hope they weren't paying him!)

 

[Milkshark]

Outside of this year whole different story, year on year, I mean, some amount of teams will always be trash of course. And one or two teams probably do miss the 8 vs those who scraped in on slight schedule differences.

We've certainly had 'not the hardest draw', which tbh is good. You probably don't want the hardest draw, that seems a bit extreme.

But how our draw looks gets made easier for same reason Penrith and Storm often have easier draws, not as many better teams to play against as weaker clubs.

Surely we haven't had a dramatically easier draw consistently for 10 years.

I'm actually surprised with how my previous post worked out, I was actually expecting it to be 'even then Dolphins only finish 8th instead' or something.

The best example of half the comp being trash was 2018! Top 4 16 wins, 5-8th 15 wins, then dropped all the way down to 12 wins, then down to 10 and fell from there. Real disparity that year. (and that year Mitchell Moses got Parra a spoon in his 5th year of NRL - hope they weren't paying him!)

For a club arguably less financially stable over the years and with less infrastructure etc, sharks definitely punch above their weight.

I think they’re definitely on an upward trajectory, chasing panthers and Storm, like everyone else

 

[Vichyssoise]

Bellamy. Goes out on a GF win then gets to scratch the coaching itch with Origin as his retirement hobby

His first stint wasn't exactly a resounding success. I know that the circumstances were different but I wonder if his coaching is a good fit for Origin.
Wouldn't hurt to try again I suppose. He at least knows what is doing.