What is the biggest problem currently with the Cronulla Sharks?

[Inferno]

We're in Fitzgibbon's 4th year as head coach of the Sharks.

We're currently outside the 8 with a 2 and 2 record to start the year.

The roster has been relatively stable over the past 4 seasons with little player turnover. This is clearly by design with every single player (or almost every single player) signed or re-signed by the club during Fitz' tenure.

Over the past few seasons (including this season) we're talked out as a possible premiership contender but most see us as just below the Panthers and Storm. The knock on us over the past few seasons has been our inability to stand up when it matters as was seen most recently over the weekend against the bulldogs.

What in your opinion is the biggest problem the Sharks are currently facing?

Coaching? Fitzgibbon has clearly improved the club in his time with us but does he (or his coaching team) have the ability to take the club to the next level?

Club Roster? is there something missing from our roster? Perhaps a bigger forward in the backrow? Are we getting enough out of our lock position

Lack of elite talent in the spine? Nicho, Tricky, Kennedy, Brailey and McInnes are good but how many would be in the top 5 for their position in the NRL.

Home ground? the place is a dump, are we getting enough of an advantage playing there?

Club Culture? is the culture of the club close enough is good enough with 2016 being a once in a lifetime aberration?

I appreciate it will inevitably be a combination of some or all of these but what do you think is the single biggest problem facing the Sharks at the moment?

 

[Cheese sandwich]

Right at this moment it's the spine (though I'm interchangeable on these as all options are very valid)

Will try to expand on this later

 

[Weaponhead]

On the field, club culture. Specifically, lack of killer instinct.

Off the field, lack of financial resources. The club has been hand to mouth forever. This is reflected in getting bent over in the development (that board had no other option, IMO), the shitty ground and lack of leagues club. The board have tried to find alternative revenue streams and done quite well in some senses but the ground situation is untenable.

 

[tom of poland]

Club Roster? is there something missing from our roster? Perhaps a bigger forward in the backrow? Are we getting enough out of our lock position.

I semi agree. We don't seem to match it with the forward packs of the true contenders, at least not on a week by week basis, though we sometimes spring a surprise and belt an opposing pack sufficiently to turn them off. I quite like our lock, he's all heart, but I have reservations about the size and strength of our 2nd rowers.

 

[bad boy bubby]

I'm glad you started this thread @Inferno I was thinking of doing something similar but mine would have been something more like "Who are the Sacrificial Moo Cows at the moment?"

I cast for Coaching.
I've been hinting at this since the season began.
Whilst I'm not worried right now I am concerned.
I saw some improvement in the first round against Penrith, not that it means anything now that they've lost their next three, but after that I'm seeing the same/same as the last three years.
I see a lot of blame going on players, and in most cases that is justified, but I truly believe that blame should be angled more at the coaching.
Fitz supposedly prides himself on being a defensive coach, so does Ciraldo and I can tell you that team has come on leaps and bounds in the defense department, whilst ours has stayed the same or got a little worse.
I personally do not want another top 4 finish this year, I need at least a GF appearance.
If this does not happen then I'm afraid some extra tough measure by the coaching and club staff have to be made.
No team wins the competition without in some way being ruthless.
I'm yet to see if we can be this way under the regime in place.

 

[Poss]

We're missing a true game breaker. A wild card who can make something out of nothing at any time.

Hynes is not the same player he was 2-3 years ago when he won the Dally M. If he was the premiere player in our spine, the spine looks a lot better. Right now, he is either 3rd or 4th best player in our spine.

We have a very good team. But we have too many 7 out of 10 players, and no 9-10 out of 10 players. If you average our teams ability out, we're probably in the top 4 of all teams. Problem is that the other teams in that top 4 have at least one or two 9-10 out of 10 players.

Storm has Grant, Munster, Hughes, Pap
Panthers have Cleary, Edwards, To'oo, Yeo

They are the ones you throw the ball to in the final minutes to win a big game. They get you over the line when it counts. Whilst we have a very good squad... who are you throwing the ball to in the final minute to come up with the clutch play?

 

[shadowboxer]

I can deal with a team underperforming, lack of funds, culture of being the good guys (who never have to mongrel to really succeed) - hell we have been dealing with the above on and off forever.
Never really a massive issue being the underdog.
However, the current state of the facilities and game in general is bloody ordinary. It’s great being top 8 but flogging crap teams and folding like paper cranes under some pressure again is just boring.
I support the club getting a season pass year on year, but Im really at the stage of not giving a figg and sitting on my butt at home.
I bag the club but to Weapons point, they are doing some things well financially. They just need to bite the bullet and work out something that will future proof the club. If they are still in the same position with facility’s in 5 years and we have a few lean years, be keen to see what happens.
Plenty of younger fans than us are as fickle as they come - I think they wouldn’t hang around and move on to something else. They ain’t like us.

 

[Poss]

I must say, as an out of towner from the Northern Beaches... it is very hard to get tickets to any sharks home games for me and my son. Most are sold out well in advance. We also like to stay overnight nearby and soak in the vibes, but there is very little accommodation options.

This is probably just a me problem as I am bad at planning in advance and generally like to just make spontaneous decisions depending on weather and what I have on at the time.

 

[Craigshark]

The coaching on the weekend just gone has me concerned. Every single sharks fan knew what the bulldogs were coming to shark park to dish up, but for some unknown reason, we didn’t look ready or prepared for it at all.

his bench rotation has been the same shit for the last three seasons. Atkinson on the bench this year is a total wasted spot.

They need to find some mongrel, or I fear this season could slip away like 2003 sort of when we were talked up coming off a prelim the year before and then failed to make the semi’s.

 

[shaggs]

I would vote for coaching.
we had that period where we played differently for different teams.
Halves were out and we played forward power etc

Simple things like continuing to kick high to wingers that were on fire with their catching. What’s going on there. Is there no plan B.

The one out running is fine against weak teams but it appears as though the players are never encouraged or berated for the support play.

The variety and changes week to week and minute to minute is completely missing. If every week is the same and every minute is the same how do we ever step it up when it really matters??

 

[sladden road]

Nah…f**k all this.

League is a game, at its heart despite the 2020s version, about violence.
Look at the Mahoney bs for the weekend.
We miss a Ennis and a BBQS

Some one needs to wear three weeks and iron some merkin out.
Gayer then Freddie Mercury we are, and that’s fuggn
Gay.
Gay.
Gay.

Trannies included .
Gay.

They are the correct pronouns

FFs.

f**k em, told you Afb to smash counts…wear the suspension and smash merkins.

 

[roboshark]

I'm worried we will destroy AFBs game and he will also get sucked into the Sharks lack of success and mediocrity soon

 

[ragzouken]

We need to start serving merkin and giving mother
Until we do that we will continue to be mid

 

[Cheese sandwich]

Just on the coaching, maybe some fresh eyes in assistant roles is needed. It looks a bit stale.

But the spine for me, we had plenty of field position despite the bulldogs dominance on the weekend for example but played the same sideways predictable stuff after a couple of non threatening settlers. @Chimp is right about Brailey, he's neat and tidy, good passing and great defender but doesn't offer any questions when we're camped on the opposition try line. Hynes, well no need to expand on that - we can all see it. Kennedy is kennedy, tries hard, nice bloke but comes up short of most fullbacks. Trindall is the one that has the most upside but needs to really work on his decision making, he can look rushed and come up with the wrong play a fair bit.

 

[Since 73]

I don't buy into the 'spine' wank.
A term thrown around by talking heads making out they know shit.
We won it with Chad. That's 25% of the spine who's not up to it.
Pennies have Martin in the 2nd row. Can turn a game or beat a team on his own.
You just need X factor. Irrespective of positions.

Name one player in our team with it.

The last 20 minutes of our last game. We were camped in their 20 and both halves are running sideways - no, backwards - telegrapging passes to runners. Wouldnt have scored again if they played til midnight

If I was coaching against us I know the game plan that will get the job done.

 

[Cheese sandwich]

I don't buy into the 'spine' wank.
A term thrown around by talking heads making out they know shit.
We won it with Chad. That's 25% of the spine who's not up to it.
Pennies have Martin in the 2nd row. Can turn a game or beat a team on his own.
You just need X factor. Irrespective of positions.

Name one player in our team with it.

The last 20 minutes of our last game. We were camped in their 20 and both halves are running sideways - no, backwards - telegrapging passes to runners. Wouldnt have scored again if they played til midnight

If I was coaching against us I know the game plan that will get the job done.

Good point about Martin, I love Briton but the game can pass him by a lot of the time

 

[Frenzy.]

I'm glad you started this thread @Inferno I was thinking of doing something similar but mine would have been something more like "Who are the Sacrificial Moo Cows at the moment?"

I cast for Coaching.
I've been hinting at this since the season began.
Whilst I'm not worried right now I am concerned.
I saw some improvement in the first round against Penrith, not that it means anything now that they've lost their next three, but after that I'm seeing the same/same as the last three years.
I see a lot of blame going on players, and in most cases that is justified, but I truly believe that blame should be angled more at the coaching.
Fitz supposedly prides himself on being a defensive coach, so does Ciraldo and I can tell you that team has come on leaps and bounds in the defense department, whilst ours has stayed the same or got a little worse.
I personally do not want another top 4 finish this year, I need at least a GF appearance.
If this does not happen then I'm afraid some extra tough measure by the coaching and club staff have to be made.
No team wins the competition without in some way being ruthless.
I'm yet to see if we can be this way under the regime in place.

Do not plagiarise my work thanks bra.

I have voted coaching as well. Loyalty is a fine trait. Blind loyalty is rust. Remember when the majority of this joint bemoaned "the encumbents"?

No one in this squad has pressure to perform. All positions are safe.

 

[roboshark]

You just never go into a game confident anymore. You never know what u will get form them. Back in the late 90sbon particular u could always be confident of a good showing

 

[ragzouken]

Do not plagiarise my work thanks bra.

I have voted coaching as well. Loyalty is a fine trait. Blind loyalty is rust. Remember when the majority of this joint bemoaned "the encumbents"?

No one in this squad has pressure to perform. All positions are safe.

Good point about pressure to perform.

My honest take is we have overachieved massively with our squad, yeah I know we haven’t won anything and everyone froths about our depth etc, but we are probably a 5-8 quality team propped up from coaching.

A lot of our boys are cast offs at one point, outside maybe the back rowers I don’t see elite players, also our edges play a different style to most and when the pack gets rolled I don’t see either of our back rowers taking the game on like let’s say a Martin or even Luke Lewis/wade

I don’t know what I’m talking about tho.

 

[DJDL]

It’s a combination of squad and coaching for me.

The forwards need someone with aggression, and we need an absolute game breaker out wide.

AFB is a good start, but no one’s really backing him up.
There was plenty of talk of him opening it up for the likes of Herb, but he usually takes the third or fourth hit up. We need someone else coming before him IMHO.
Or he needs to be running earlier.

On the coaching side, Fitz seems unable to adapt to match situations.
It’s all very pre-meditated and pretty much the same week in, week out.
His insistence on picking an absolute plodder on the bench each week, and trying to fashion something, anything out of him as a player (when the player is leaving at the end of the year) is odd to say the least.

Yes, we’ve had injuries to contend with. But surely we have players who are capable of filling the role, and providing more to the team.

I would honestly pick Berrell for the role first.
And that’s saying something.

As others have said, for a coach regarded as a defense-oriented coach, after 3 years he’s really not improved the defensive structures that much. Certainly not to the extent of Ciraldo at the Dogs in a shorter space of time.

I’m very much on the fence with him, but I’m starting to get splinters and ready to hop off.