Andrew Fifita delivers gracious gift to mentor Shane Flanagan

Andrew Fifita paid Shane Flanagan the ultimate accolade by handing his former coach Fifita’s 2018 Dally M front-rower of the year award trophy.

Shark's coach Shane Flanagan points at Andrew Fifita after they poured water over him after the 2016 NRL Grand Final between the Cronulla Sharks and Melbourne Storm at ANZ Stadium, Sydney. Picture: Brett Costello

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Andrew Fifita paid Shane Flanagan the ultimate accolade by handing his former coach Fifita’s 2018 Dally M front-rower of the year award trophy.

Fifita engraved the trophy he won last year with a personal message thanking Flanagan for “bringing the best out in me”.

Fifita told the Sunday Telegraph it took him months to figure out a gift for Flanagan after he brought him to Cronulla from the Wests Tigers in 2012.

Shark's coach Shane Flanagan points at Andrew Fifita after they poured water over him after the 2016 NRL Grand Final between the Cronulla Sharks and Melbourne Storm at ANZ Stadium, Sydney. Picture: Brett Costello

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“I’ll be forever thankful,” Fifita said after Cronulla’s 20-6 win against Gold Coast on Saturday. “I could’ve written him a card or got him a bottle of alcohol. I felt that trophy meant more to him.

“He was grateful for it. He knows it means a lot – I put a personal message on it. It speaks for itself.”

Flanagan helped transform Fifita from fringe-first grader to premiership winner and representative star. He also always backed his sometimes at times wayward star.

“That’s what coaches do,” Fifita said. “He is one of the best. We had things off the field but within 24 hours we were back to normal being best mates. That’s what it is. I’m forever grateful. He delivered me a premiership and delivered me as a rep player. He kept me humble and grateful. It’s well deserved. I always saw memorabilia in his office and at home he has it. I tried to top what he had.

Fifita was full of praise for his former coach. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

“I had to give him that trophy, I have one at home already. I just felt like he was the ones that pushed me to get through the games last year.”

Originally published as Andrew Fifita delivers gracious gift to mentor Shane Flanagan