Craig Fitzgibbon stunned by Dale Finucane’s intensity as workhorse prepares for game 250

Craig Fitzgibbon had heard plenty of wild stories about Dale Finucane before he started coaching him and one training session confirmed how true they were.

Sharks forward Dale Finucane will bring up 250 NRL games having put his body through so much every time he takes the field. Picture: Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images

There have been times when Craig Fitzgibbon wondered whether Dale Finucane was “unhinged” or even “crazy”, but the Sharks coach has come to realise that the tireless forward is simply on another level to other players as he prepares to bring up 250 NRL appearances.

There have been hard trainers and physical players from the day rugby league was introduced into the country, but there have been only a handful like Finucane who has emptied the tank 249 times for the Bulldogs, Storm and Sharks.

The 32-year-old will bring up his milestone against the club that handed him his debut back in 2012, with the strapping he wears before a game likely to fall off within minutes and need to be replaced like it has been 249 times before.

Craig Fitzgibbon hasn’t seen too many players as tough as Dale Finucane. Picture: Matt Blyth/Getty Images

“I was having a bit of a laugh with the staff just then because of all the guys who have played 250 games, I don’t know many of them who have packed more into them than Dale would have,” Fitzgibbon said.

“He doesn’t have any concern or thought that it’s his 250th. He just wants to play more footy.

“Dale’s recruitment to the club has changed the way a lot of the players think about their preparation, how they approach a game and the meticulous detail in getting yourself to the best state you can be. He does not have a day off on that.

“That’s the sort of player our younger guys have looked up to, and they marvel at a guy who still takes no shortcuts.”

Finucane’s persona on the field is matched by his efforts at training, with Fitzgibbon describing the intense way in which he walks into the coach’s office just to have a friendly chat.

It’s why Storm coach Craig Bellamy was devastated to lose the two-time premiership winner, with Finucane under contract until the end of 2025 and unsure whether he will play on beyond that.

“There’s some days watching training and you’re asking, is he (Finucane) unhinged? Is he crazy? Or is this just who he is?” Fitzgibbon said.

“He’s the most humble, unassuming nice guy, who prepares on the red line every time he takes the field.

“We have to manage him. His brakes don’t work. He constantly needs to be controlled.

“The way he charges in the door of my office … he even walks with an intensity.”

Finucane won two titles with the Storm before he moved to Cronulla.

Regardless of what he does, he will go down as one of the toughest men in the game, with the Sharks desperate to back up last week’s strong defensive effort across the ditch when they return home to tackle the Dogs.

“You would always hear the Storm and the Bulldogs before that mention the preparation and the application to the hardest parts of the game,” Fitzgibbon said.

“You hear stories about a guy like that, but when you see it, it’s kind of uncomfortable sometimes because he won’t relent.

“Sometimes you watch training and think ‘is he unhinged, is he crazy or is this just who he is?’

“He’s the most humble, unassuming, nice guy who just prepares on the red line every time he takes the field.”