Craig Fitzgibbon’s simple plan for new-look Sharks
Craig Fitzgibbon wants a new-look Cronulla to keep things simple against a Gold Coast side he rates among the NRL’s form teams.
Braydon Trindall’s hamstring injury means hooker Blayke Brailey will start at halfback for only the second time in his NRL career, while prop Braden Hamlin-Uele is also out of Friday’s clash through knee soreness.
Eyeing a top-four finish, the undermanned Sharks can ill-afford to replicate the slow start that consigned them to defeat in their last meeting with Gold Coast in round 18.
The Titans have won three of four games since then, most recently recording their biggest-ever defeat of local rivals Brisbane in a 46-18 thrashing last week.
Des Hasler’s resurgent side likely needs to win at home this week to keep their slim finals hopes alive.
“The Titans have got a lot of momentum behind them,” said Sharks coach Fitzgibbon.
“We’re excited though, it’s the time of year you want to face some difficult opponents and I think the Titans are one of the form teams at the moment.”
Trindall’s absence leaves the Sharks without either of their first-choice halves for the first time since early May as an ankle injury continues to sideline halfback Nicho Hynes.
It also forces captain Cam McInnes to start at hooker in Brailey’s place, pushes Jack Williams into the starting side and opens up an opportunity for mature-aged rookie Jayden Berrell on the bench.
“We’ve got to keep things simple when you have the amount of changes we have at the moment,” Fitzgibbon said.
“You can’t give up on the hard parts of the game, competing, working hard for each other.
“It’s also an opportunity for other people to step so we’re really excited.”
A similarly undermanned Cronulla upset the Storm in round 10 the last time Brailey was named at halfback, with Fitzgibbon banking on the 25-year-old to impress again.
“He’s still got to impose himself on the game in his way,” the coach said.
“He’s very quick, a really strong defender. It doesn’t matter what position you are on the field, you can still display those attributes.”
Trindall is a week-by-week proposition with his hamstring issue and while Hynes is not yet targeting a hard-and-fast return date, the halfback is recovering well post-surgery.
“(Hynes) is tracking on time, if anything ahead of schedule. We still don’t have a clear time-frame though,” Fitzgibbon said.
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