Why Sharks find NRL draw commentary ‘disrespectful’

Jasper Bruce | August 8, 2025

Craig Fitzgibbon says it is “disrespectful” to claim Cronulla has a soft draw to finish the regular season, adamant the Sharks’ fixture this year has been one of the hardest in recent NRL history.

The seventh-placed Sharks have been touted for a late charge into the top four, especially given recent injuries at sixth-placed Brisbane and the fourth-placed Warriors’ dip in form.

Cronulla doesn’t leave Sydney, enjoys a bye, and plays only one other top-eight team across the final five rounds of the regular season.

The seemingly favourable run comes after years of criticism over the Sharks’ ‘soft’ draw.

Those claims had mostly been silenced to begin 2025 as Cronulla drew the equal-most games against last year’s top eight and endured tough trips to Las Vegas, Townsville, Perth and Melbourne.

Fitzgibbon was frustrated commentary about the Sharks’ draw had resurfaced.

“With all due respect to that getting spat out, we’ve had one of the hardest draws in recent history (this year),” he said. 

Fitzgibbon said in such a close season, no team truly had a soft draw, pointing to 16th-placed Gold Coast beating the Warriors two weeks ago and then taking in-form Penrith to extra time.

“The bottom teams are beating the top teams at the moment so how do we sit there and say the draw is favourable, when one slip and you’re in trouble? The competition is so tight, it’s so close.,” he said.

“I think it’s disrespectful to your opponents sometimes. Look at the Titans in the last couple of weeks. There’s been a lot of teams playing really good footy across the whole competition.”

It has left Fitzgibbon wary of Saturday night’s opponents St George Illawarra after their upset defeat of ladder-leading Canberra last week.

The 12th-placed Dragons would need to win all five of their remaining games to have any chance of making good on their very slim finals hopes.

But Saints have been competitive for the majority of Shane Flanagan’s second season in charge, with nine of their 12 losses coming by fewer than 10 points.

“They’ve been in a number of contests that haven’t gone their way but have been competitive the whole way. We know what they bring,” Fitzgibbon said.

Teig Wilton plays his 100th NRL game against the Dragons, with Fitzgibbon reiterating the second-rower as future captaincy material.

“He’s got the potential for that,” Fitzgibbon said. 

“He’s got a real good cadence to his leadership, he doesn’t speak all the time, he’s got a real good presence and knows when to speak and what to say.”