‘You know who you are’: Sharks coach hits out at his players

Cronulla coach Craig Fitzgibbon has let his frustrations at his own players be known after they were bounced out of the finals.

Cronulla coach Craig Fitzgibbon and captain Wade Graham.

Cronulla coach Craig Fitzgibbon has let his frustrations at his own players be known after they failed to aim up in their do-or-die semi-final loss to South Sydney on Saturday night.

The second-placed Sharks bowed out of the finals in straight sets in their first campaign under Fitzgibbon after the Rabbitohs pranced to a 38-12 thumping at Allianz Stadium.

NRL legends Gorden Tallis and Corey Parker were both surprised by how poorly the Sharks played when speaking on Fox League after the game.

Tallis said he was “a little disappointed by the Sharks”, while Parker added it was “their worst performance in their biggest game”.

Fitzgibbon seemed to share their disappointment when he spoke to the press after the game.

Stream every game of every round of the 2022 NRL Telstra Premiership Season Live & Ad-Break Free During Play on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >

“Bitterly disappointed with our performance, not good enough this time of year and we got a lesson in fundamentals of footy,” Fitzgibbon said.

“We didn’t respond to anything in the right fashion tonight, we had a couple little squirts of energy but nothing of note.

“I’m disappointed that we finish off the season in that fashion.

“We’ve been shuffling the decks a lot over the last eight weeks, guys in, guys out, different combinations and no consistency at training with guys in and out.

Cronulla coach Craig Fitzgibbon and captain Wade Graham.

“But it’s no excuse. You know who you are and you know how you want to play and defend. For semi-finals, that defence is just not good enough.”

Fitzgibbon was particularly disappointed with his team’s defence as they coughed up the most points they have in any other game this season.

Cronulla captain Wade Graham also cut a forlorn figure after the game.

“It’s hard to put your finger on it, if you look at our season we defended well all year and the game is quite brutal and can humble you,” Graham said.

“As Fitzy said we just missed the mark as a team and at this level at this time of year, you only need to miss the mark by a little bit and you pay for it and we paid for it two weeks in a row.

“Two scorelines in the final over 30, you’re not going to win a regular season game let alone a semi-final when it’s all on the line.

“Ultimately we didn’t perform and got bundled out.”

Wade Graham of the Sharks. Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images.

In the other dressing room the celebrations were slightly subdued as the Rabbitohs prepare to face the Panthers in the grand final re-match.

It will be a long week for the Rabbitohs before next Saturday’s clash as try machine Alex Johnston, utility Siliva Havili and Origin forward Jai Arrow all left the field with injuries.

Havili suffered a calf injury, while Johnston left the ground with a reported cork to the leg. However, Channel 9 reported the Rabbitohs were fearing a hip flexor injury.

But there were concerns for Arrow, who looked in discomfort over a suspected groin injury.

Speaking in the press conference, Souths coach Jason Demetriou said he had high hopes all three injured players would be alright.

“Siliva’s got a calf problem, so fingers crossed. The physio thinks if it’s not too bad he might be okay,” he said.

“Jai’s just got a groin thing he’s carried for weeks so he’ll be fine. Aj’s got a hip flexor injury. Again it’s not serious but fingers crossed he get stuck into the rehab and with a seven day turnaround we can get him back.”

The Rabbitohs will also be sweating on the match review committee after prop Tevita Tatola was cited for a chicken wing tackle.