NRL 2023: Cronulla Sharks re-sign coach Craig Fitzgibbon on five-year deal, keeping him until the end of 2027

Craig Fitzgibbon has been given the keys to the Shire, signing a monster contract extension that will make him one of the longest-serving coaches in Cronulla’s history.

Craig Fitzgibbon is set to become one of the longest-serving Sharks coaches, after signing a huge five-year contract extension. Picture: Getty Images.

Cronulla have shown ultimate faith in head coach Craig Fitzgibbon by locking him down in the Shire for the next five years.

Fitzgibbon, just 12-months after arriving at the club and who wasn’t off-contract until the end of next year, will remain at the helm of the Sharks until at least the end of 2027.

The multi-year deal is a ringing endorsement by the Cronulla board for the highly-respected mentor who is just 26-games into his first grade coaching career after only entering the NRL coaching furnace last season.

Making the finals in his inaugural year in charge, Fitzgibbon led the Sharks to second spot on the NRL ladder, the first time the club had finished in the top two since 1999.

Fitzgibbon also backed untested halfback Nicho Hynes to lead the side, the decision proving a masterstroke as the halfback went on to win the prestiged Dally M Player of The Year.

Craig Fitzgibbon is set to become one of the longest-serving Sharks coaches, after signing a huge five-year contract extension. Picture: Getty Images.

The lengthy deal will provide Fitzgibbon with the backing and support to become one of the longest-serving coaches in the club’s history and ironically with the chance to surpass the number of games coached by his father, former Cronulla coach Alan Fitzgibbon (92-games).

“This is a tremendous opportunity for us to build on what we started here at the Sharks last year,” Fitzgibbon said.

“We enjoyed our first season together, but our journey has just begun and we are looking to create an even stronger environment going forward.”

The re-signing of Fitzgibbon so soon into his coaching career is reminiscent of Roosters supremo Nick Politis extending Trent Robinson’s contract just two seasons into his career and when he too, wasn’t off-contract.

Aiming for elite-level success and stability as a club and board, Cronulla chair Steve Mace and CEO Dino Mezzatesta have made the call in the belief that Fitzgibbon is a career coach who in a short amount of time has transformed the club’s culture and mentality as a football program.

The long-term extension is a massive show of faith in their rookie coach, who took Cronulla to the finals in his first year, finishing second on the ladder after the regular season. Picture: NRL Images.

“Craig managed to create an immediate impression when appointed to the role of head coach, his results then spoke for themselves and we believe as a board and management that the sky is the limit for our football program under his leadership,” Mace said.

“I indicated some months ago that it was our goal to have Craig as our head coach long term and to get the deal done and to make it a reality, is extremely satisfying.”

Mezzatesta said Mace and the Cronulla board instigated the deal during a study tour by the club’s executive team of the UK prior to Christmas last year.

“Our decision to offer this extension to Craig wasn’t just about on-field results, which were certainly impressive last year in his first season in charge,” Mezzatesta said.

“It is also about the culture he is attempting to instil, not only among the NRL playing group, but throughout the entire football program.

“We believe Craig is setting our club up for success, not only in the short term and for the upcoming season, but also for the years to come.”

BUZZ: HYNES SET FOR BUMPER PAY RISE IN LIFETIME DEAL

—Buzz Rothfield

The Cronulla Sharks want to sign superstar halfback Nicho Hynes to a lifetime contract.

Talks will soon begin with the Dally M champion around a multimillion-dollar extension.

“We want Nicho at the club for the rest of his playing career and after football as well,” says Sharks chairman Steve Mace.

“On and off the field he is what our DNA is all about.

“When the time is right we will sit down and have the conversation around a long-term deal.”

Hynes originally signed a three-year contract at the Sharks, worth $600,000-a-season, according to News Corp’s NRL Rich-100 list.

His value has increased substantially since as he has developed from a good to great football player.

Nicho Hynes is set to be offered $3.5 million. Picture: Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images

The Sharks will be looking at a four-year contract extension, worth around $3.5 million.

Talks would have already started had it not been for the tumultuous recent events the 26-year-old halfback has been dealing with … his mum now in custody after being found guilty of heroin supply.

The case has knocked him around.

He went from the courtroom steps in Gosford to play in New Zealand because he is so passionate about his Indigenous culture.

There was early talk Hynes was emotionally struggling to an extent where he would withdraw from the All Stars camp and return home.

Instead he stayed and had a blinder in the Indigenous team’s victory, winning the Preston Campbell Medal.

In an interview after the game, Indigenous coach Ron Griffiths spoke beautifully of his halfback.

“He’s destined for greatness,” Griffiths said, “He doesn’t walk past anyone without saying hello and smiling and above all else he’s a beautiful person. He just carries himself, his persona around the group, he just brings everyone together.”

Nicho Hynes is the reigning Dally M medallist.

In the Shire, Hynes is like a god.

The Sharks have had their local heroes over the years … the likes of Andrew Ettingshausen, Paul Gallen, Steve Rogers and Gavin Miller.

Hynes is up there with them after only 12 months with the club, such is the impression he has made as a footballer and a role model.

Plus he’s got the Ettingshausen looks to go with his footy ability.

Kids, mums, dads and everyone love him.

Hynes will eventually be the captain and face of the club.

The kid who has gone from the Central Coast and a tough upbringing to Manly juniors, to Mackay, to Melbourne on the way to becoming an NRL poster boy at the Sharks.

It’s why Mace is about to start talks regarding the life contract.

His value to the Sharks is priceless.