Fitzgibbon to become longest serving Sharks coach with two-year extension

Craig Fitzgibbon has inked a two-year contract extension with the Cronulla Sharks, keeping him at the club until the end of 2029 and putting him on track to become the longest-serving coach in the club's history.

Fitzgibbon has guided the Sharks to the finals in each of his four seasons since taking charge in 2022, was previously contracted until the end of 2027. The 48-year-old accepted the board's offer to extend, confident the club is tracking towards a premiership.

With 116 games currently to his name at Cronulla, Fitzgibbon has the remainder of this season and three more to surpass John Lang's club record of 211 games. He currently sits fourth on the all-time list behind Lang, Shane Flanagan (186) and Tommy Bishop (136), boasting the best winning strike-rate of any long-term Sharks coach at 61.1 per cent.

Chairman Steve Mace confirmed the deal had been in the works for some time. "Craig's extension has been in motion for some time and there was never any concern from our end," Mace said.

"Fitzy is as good a person as he is a coach, and we're excited to continue building with him through to 2029."

Importantly, the extension takes Fitzgibbon off the coaching market which is expected to catch fire in coming months with the Perth Bears yet to secure its full coaching staff, the PNG Chiefs yet to name a head coach and pressure on both Todd Payten and Anthony Seibold.

"The journey is ongoing, I have faith in what we are doing and what we've been able to achieve so far and look forward to creating stronger connections and a successful environment, both for this current season and the years to come," Fitzgibbon said of the appointment.

The Sharks have never finished lower than sixth under his watch and have reached the past two preliminary finals. Several of the club's biggest names, including Nicho Hynes, Addin Fonua-Blake and Ronaldo Mulitalo, are contracted until 2028 and beyond, with Fitzgibbon's presence cited as a key factor in those retention decisions.

The Sharks have started the season 1-2 and travel to Canberra on Sunday looking to arrest back-to-back losses.