Cronulla plagued by 'lack of respect' as Cameron Smith and Andrew Johns dismiss NRL finals hopes
The Sharks have suffered early exits from the NRL finals two years running.
You can include two of rugby league's biggest names among Cronulla's list of non-believers as coach Craig Fitzgibbon detailed the lack of respect for his team despite finishing inside the NRL's top four. Immortal Andrew Johns and Melbourne Storm great Cameron Smith are among those to write off the Sharks' chances in the play-offs after being unconvinced of their credentials across the regular season.
The Sharks have beaten every side inside the top eight (bar premiers Penrith) this season and have sat at - on near - the top of the table all year. But after his side demolished Manly 40-20 on Sunday, Fitzgibbon acknowledged they won't be considered the real deal until they deliver in the play-offs.
The Sharks head to Melbourne for Saturday's qualifying final against the Storm without a win in two finals campaigns under Fitzgibbon. "We’ve just got to work on earning each other’s respect and, if we do that, we’ll earn external respect eventually, at some point, maybe…I doubt it," he said.
"We’ve got to deliver and until that happens it will still be there. To be fair to the players, I never sit here without hearing that (lack of respect for his team).
"We try and stay humble. Your Penrith, Melbourne and the Roosters - they know what it’s about. They’ve been there, they’ve been up there. Us other clubs are cracking away to try and get close. I feel like we’ve done a good job to get closer this year. How close, we'll find out in the next month."
Andrew Johns and Cam Smith dismiss Cronulla's credentials
Doubt remains over Cronulla's ability to get the job done when it counts. Prior to the Sharks' big win over Manly at 4 Pines Park, Johns wrote in his Sydney Morning Herald column: "The Sharks? The jury is still out on whether they’re capable of winning the big games. When it comes to clinching the title, I can’t have them."
Smith, also talking before Round 27, had the same concerns. "There's something about the Sharkies...I haven't been convinced about them all year, I really haven't," he said. "I apologise to Sharkies fans but when it comes to the big matches, they're just unproven. For some reason - when it matters - they seem like they just can't get it done."
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Cronulla will head to Melbourne as a clear outsider but buoyed by its 25-18 win over Storm in Round 10 at AAMI Park.
