Craig Fitzgibbon is an NRL Premiership Legend and current Cronulla Sharks Head Coach who hails from the town of Wollongong in New South Wales.

Craig is widely regarded as one of the greatest forwards of his generation and is widely respected for his tough and uncompromising playing style.

Craig began his professional rugby league career in 1998 when he signed with the St. George Illawarra Dragons. He quickly established himself as a valuable member of the team, playing in the forward pack and demonstrating his physical prowess on the field. In 2001, he was selected to play for the New South Wales Blues in the State of Origin series, which is the annual rugby league competition between New South Wales and Queensland. He played in all three games of the series and helped lead the Blues to a series victory.

Craig’s success with the Blues caught the attention of other rugby league teams, and in 2002 he signed with the Sydney Roosters. He quickly became a star player for the Roosters, helping the team win the NRL Premiership in 2002 and 2003. In 2004, he was again selected to play for the New South Wales Blues and played a crucial role in the team’s series victory.

Craig continued to play for the Roosters until 2011, making over 250 appearances for the club. During his time with the Roosters, he won four premierships and was named the club’s player of the year in 2003 and 2008. He also earned a reputation as one of the toughest and most respected players in the league, thanks to his relentless work ethic and fearless attitude on the field.

In addition to his club and state success, Craig also had a successful international career, representing Australia in 14 Test matches between 2001 and 2006. He was a key player in the Australian team that won the 2003 Rugby League World Cup, scoring two tries in the final against England.

After retiring from playing in 2011, Craig began his coaching career with the Roosters as an assistant coach. He quickly showed his coaching ability, and in 2012 he was appointed as the head coach of the New South Wales Cup team, the Newtown Jets. He led the Jets to the Grand Final in his first season as head coach, but they were ultimately defeated by the Balmain Tigers.

Craig’s success with the Jets caught the attention of other rugby league clubs, and in 2013 he was appointed as an assistant coach with the City Origin team. He was also appointed as an assistant coach with the New South Wales Blues for the State of Origin series that year.

In 2014, Craig was appointed as an assistant coach with the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks. He played a key role in the team’s success, helping them reach the NRL Grand Final in 2016, where they were ultimately defeated by the Melbourne Storm.

In 2021, Craig was appointed as the head coach of the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks. He took over the role from John Morris and immediately set about making changes to the team’s playing style and structure. Despite a slow start to the season, the Sharks began to show signs of improvement under Craig’s leadership, with the team’s younger players in particular thriving under his coaching.

Craig is widely regarded as one of the most promising young coaches in rugby league, and his success with the Sharks has only served to cement this reputation.