But it’s the addition of Hynes, former Melbourne teammate Dale Finucane and St George Illawarra captain Cameron McInnes which has excited Sharks fans the most.

Not to mention Fitzgibbon himself. In his first public duty in black, white and blue, the former Kangaroo was the star attraction of the Sharks’ delayed grand final luncheon, which held weeks after the season climax so Cronulla could keep it running for a 44th straight year.

The lunch allowed the coach and McInnes an intimate setting to familiarise himself with their new club.

Fitzgibbon joked about telling McInnes during NSW’s State of Origin camp in 2020 of his desire to sign him one day - “I remember saying to him, ‘I’m not sure if I’m going to end up coaching, but when I am, I’m coming for you, mate’” - and then signed for the Sharks himself after the hooker had already committed to Cronulla.

Fitzgibbon told of the mentality he expects his team to play with, which he said would have been enhanced if the Sharks had squeezed into the finals for a seventh straight year in 2021.

They were only tipped out of eighth spot after the Titans’ thumping final-round win over the Warriors, and would have met Fitzgibbon’s Roosters in the play-offs.

I remember saying to him, ‘I’m not sure if I’m going to end up coaching, but when I am, I’m coming for you, mate’

Craig Fitzgibbon

Fitzgibbon, a former Sharks ballboy, previously turned down lucrative offers from the Warriors and Dragons to begin his head coaching career, insisting he see out his deal at the Roosters and wait for the right opportunity.

“I never really got too serious investigating any opportunity because of a couple of reasons,” he said.

Loading

“Number one, I didn’t feel like I was ready. The role is not to be taken lightly and anyone who has jumped in too soon has been chewed up and spat out pretty quickly. I felt like I needed to be 100 per cent I was ready to coach.

“Second of all, I wanted to fit a club and walk into a position where I thought I could represent the club well and the club represents what I’m about. I don’t just want to be a coach, I want to win. I felt like the club was in a position, in a number of ways, that made it attractive.

“There’s an element of nostalgia there that is hard to ignore. There were a number of elements that helped my decision, but I also needed to be sure I wasn’t taking a position on nostalgia.

“Once I made that decision, that weight kind of left me and now it’s been nothing other than excitement and enthusiasm going forward.”