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Sharks veteran scolds Fifita over bizarre outburst

Luke Lewis has hit out against teammate Andrew Fifita after the Sharks forward blew up at his own coaches during their win against North Queensland on Saturday night.

Fifita apologised to teammates following the 28-16 win, when he got up from scoring a try and pointed and yelled at the Sharks’ box after spending half of the game on the bench.

He later claimed the reaction was directed at Cronulla assistant Jim Dymock who criticised him at half-time and not coach Shane Flanagan, but that was only after he spoke to Sharks officials.

Regardless of who it was aimed at, Lewis said the situation wasn’t a good one.

“It’s definitely not the way to react and it’s not the thing we want to be sending out there to kids and all that sort of stuff,” Lewis told Triple M.

Fifita has come under fire for his bizarre outburst. Pic: Getty
Fifita has come under fire for his bizarre outburst. Pic: Getty

“It wasn’t a good look for the game and it wasn’t a good look for our side either which is very disappointing because we had a good win and really enjoyed it.”

The outburst came after Fifita was benched in the 19th minute after he gave away a penalty in the lead up to a Cowboys try.

He then returned with 20 minutes to play in the game, as Flanagan claimed they had to manage a knee injury for the firebrand for the run into the finals.

Told in the post-match press conference that it looked like Fifita was desperate to get back on the field while on the bench, Flanagan said: “Good on him, it’s not his team.”

Lewis said it was important Flanagan, Fifita and Dymock meet this week to resolve the issue.

“We have to get on the front foot early and sort it out and make sure it never happens again,” he said.

“Not just because of the club and the direction we’re trying to head, it’s the image we want to set for young kids.”

With AAP