Cronulla Sharks 2021

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We let yet another shoulda won game slip. We are competitive with the top six sides but not good enough to win. We were run over in the last 15 minutes.

This article looks interesting...

www.foxsports.com.au

Sharks have made a coaching call — now the future of FOURTEEN stars hangs in the balance

Sharks have made a coaching call — now the future of FOURTEEN stars hangs in the balance
www.foxsports.com.au www.foxsports.com.au

A fair section of the media think John Morris' days at Cronulla are numbered. The article below is not a bad read as it outlines some interesting facts. Apparently we are cashed up in the salary cap and Moylan, Woods, Duggan and Johnson do not have deals beyond this season. Given their injury histories perhaps Moylan, Duggan and Johnson along with Andrew Fifita are on the way out along with the current Coach.

www.smh.com.au

Attracting players and making top four: Why the Sharks are baulking on Morris

Within weeks, Cronulla’s coach should know if he has a job in the Shire next year. This is why the Sharks’ board and management are taking their time with the call.
www.smh.com.au www.smh.com.au

The next few weeks will be interesting.
 
I am one of those who find the decision to replace the Coach a little puzzling. Morris has not had it easy over the past two seasons as some of the big names signed post 2016 have not produced due to injury, age etc. Morris also coached last year in the aftermath of a salary cap violation which was not his fault. As I posted previously the Coach should not be the only one in the firing line.

The CEO, Dino Mezzatesta had this to say,

"As coach John has brought through a number of promising youngsters to where they are now performing at an NRL level, his work ethic can't be questioned and there is little doubt he has a bright future as a coach in the NRL. We certainly wish him future success.

If all that is true Dino why change? I guess it is the standard 'what a great guy' PR that clubs give out when they sack the Coach.

Of course the Chooks will not release Fitzgibbon before October so we have a fill in Coach for the rest of 2021.
 
I think they always saw Morris as a stop gap whilst the club ride out the impacts of the penalties then start fresh with a full cap and good coach.

I’m guessing they saw an opportunity to get a coach they see as the future and went for it, a lot like AFL clubs target Clarko’s assistants.

Disappointing that Morris has left immediately, but whilst he has got us competitive and into finals, our record against top 8 sides means we’re always pushing s**t uphill to actually be a contender. Plus our defence is terrible so bringing in a coach responsible for the top sides defence is a great move.

I’m excited for the future, this year was always a bit of a write off, but I do hope they keep SJ, even Dugan is surely still a better option than Chambers?
 
Meet the interim Coach.

www.sharks.com.au

Coach preview: Round Six

Josh Hannay fronted the Media ahead of the Sharks clash with the Newcastle Knights at McDonald Jones Stadium on Friday night
www.sharks.com.au www.sharks.com.au

My pet gripe with these press conferences is they never mike the media up properly and sometimes it is hard to hear the exact questions. The AFL is the same as you hear the answer and sometimes you are trying to use the answer to work out what the question is. But anyway that is the interim Coach.
 
What the *. We went within 150mm of winning that game! Talakai needed another step to get the ball down, then Rudolph dropped the loose ball and Newcastle got off the hook.

I guess with the upheaval of this week, playing away and injuries to Graham, Dugan and Mulitalo coming back from 6-14 down at half time was a spirited try but our supporters deserve more than good tries (pardon the pun).

We are now 2-4 and are up against it. We have the Bulldogs next week then face the Storm, Panthers and Rabbitohs in the following three weeks. We have a s**t draw this year as we will have played the Eels, Raiders, Roosters, Knights, Storm, Panthers and Rabbits in the first ten weeks so a 3-7 record should not be a surprise. I guess we will get a few easier games later in the year but by then our season may be all over.
 
At least as we get one good game next week before a hellish month.

By the time we start playing the crap teams, SJ should be back to full match fitness as well. Didn’t expect him back so soon.

Looking at our draw, after the Rabbits, we’ve got 12 very winnable games, after the Bye we play Penrith, 10 straight games v teams we can beat then finish With the Storm.

IF we turned it all around, 12-12 is a very reasonable expectation. Better if it clicks.
 
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A few weeks back I was thinking would it be fair to ditch Chad Townsend after 8 years of service and go after Adam Reynolds? Looks like Chad has answered that question for me. Reynolds is about the same age as Townsend so offering Reynolds a three year deal at a reasonable figure is probably worth the punt.

We have lost Townsend and I reckon we should say goodbye to the out of contract Moylan and a spent Andrew Fifita who has reportedly been eyeing the Super League. That would give us the salary cap room to have a go at Reynolds. Shaun Johnson has managed just 34 games for us in 2 and a half seasons and we have to weigh up if taking a punt on his fitness is worth it and it would not surprise if he was also in the mix. Aaron Woods and Josh Dugan are also out of contract.

Obviously we decided to go with Craig Fitzgibbon for a reason and maybe part of it was to engineer a clean out and attract some good quality replacements? I reckon the remainder of 2021 might be 'hold on to your hats' time and if new deals have not been put to the likes of Moylan, Woods, Dugan and Johnson by the end of 2021 they might be in line to be moved on. The other side of the coin is of course to hang onto the likes of Kennedy and Rudolph who are sure to be head hunted.

Interesting times.
 
What can you say? On that performance there are obviously players who know they will be playing elsewhere next year and that is where there mindset is. We will finish bottom four. Storm, Panthers and Rabbitohs in the next three weeks whacky doo.

Once again the breaks went against us but we started poorly and should not have been in a position where the breaks counted. I really have a problem with the obstruction rule as the fundamental question should be, 'could the obstructed player have made the tackle?' Instead we get a technical interpretation based on which shoulder the player is contacted with. There was no way Flanagan was going to stop Talakai. That try would have made it 16-18 with the kick to come.

At least Shaun Johnson seems to have got through OK but we will need more than a fit Shaun Johnson to get through the next three weeks.

On the subject of fitness Matt Moylan out injured again- Surely Moylan's time with us is over?
 
We would have the inside running if that is the case.

www.news.com.au

Huge domino falls in NRL’s musical chairs

Adam Reynolds is reportedly set to sign with Cronulla as the NRL’s game of musical chairs took a dramatic step on Wednesday.
www.news.com.au www.news.com.au

Of course the Courier Mail is reporting that the Broncos are set to spoil the party. The last I heard Reynolds wants to stay in Sydney and wants a 3 year deal which would give us the upper hand. Apparently Reynolds has held talks with Craig Fitzgibbon and is happy with the deal offered. The Courier Mail is also reporting that the Broncos are chasing out of contract Shaun Johnson. Personally Johnson has been that injury prone with us it might be a blessing to see him go and release some more cap space. Since he began with us in 2019 Johnson has managed just 35 out of 54 games which is a high absentee ratio.

If we free up salary cap by losing Townsend, Moylan, Fifita and possibly Johnson we should be able to easily afford Reynolds along with a fit five eight.
 
It must be a long time since we had 36 points scored against us in a half.

Once again we played a half but could not sustain the effort. Last season we were able to score OK but last year Katoa and Mulitalo were running in the tries and Johnson was leading the NRL in try assists. In 2021 these three have not been able to get on the park as a unit and our scoring potential is shot.

I would like to think that next week is a new game with a new opportunity but next week we have the Panthers - ugh!
 
eddiesmith said:
I’d prefer a Johnson and Reynolds pairing if it would work
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No doubt that pairing would work but it is whether we are prepared to take a chance and pay 800k per year for a player who struggles to get on the park. Injury is not Johnson's fault but it is something we have to take into account.
 
0-30 half way through the second half and looking ugly. We are not physically strong enough to match it with Penrith. Fisher- Harris had a crack at our line in three consecutive plays before he inevitably scored. Fisher-Harris, Koroisou, Crichton, Kikau are strong boys when they are are allowed to run. In the past we had the likes of Gallen, Lewis, Prior and Fifita to counter but of course those days are gone.

I would just like to see us score just to show we are out there.
 
Capital Power said:
Cue in the rack for the season. Understandable, but tough on fans and sponsors. Will be a new ball game in 2022.
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Yeah, but we will need to rebuild our forward pack with some physical strength. Penrith ran down the ground at will and we struggled to stop them. We have some young talent but we need some experienced hard bodies to go with them.

I wish we could pay Craig Fitzsimmons contract out and get him across ASAP. I assume he will be analysing each game and either ticking boxes or putting a lines through a few names. Hopefully Craig arrives with an achievable shopping list.

Beaten by the bottom side one week then flogged by the top side two weeks later. Where does that leave us?
 
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raptalia said:
0-30 half way through the second half and looking ugly. We are not physically strong enough to match it with Penrith. Fisher- Harris had a crack at our line in three consecutive plays before he inevitably scored. Fisher-Harris, Koroisou, Crichton, Kikau are strong boys when they are are allowed to run. In the past we had the likes of Gallen, Lewis, Prior and Fifita to counter but of course those days are gone.

I would just like to see us score just to show we are out there.
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You are comparing yourselves to easily the best side in the comp there, though. There is no great disgrace in being beaten by Penrith at the moment. But they do stand as an example to other teams. Why are they going so well? Well they have probably the best halves pairing in the comp, they can both create, and they can combine effectively. A cracking pack, and outside backs with quality... But the biggest thing to me is that they look well-coached. Every player seems to know what he's doing. If they need to bring in a youngster, he fits in no problem. Likewise, although it looks at a glance like they chuck the ball around a lot, they make very few errors. It's hard to put your finger on, but the results are plain to see.
 
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