'Love going back': The Henson Park return 36 years in the making
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Andrew Ettingshausen can still remember the tall, blonde kid who used to hang around the Sharks throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The boy was shy and quiet but his face lit up whenever he had the chance to interact with the players.
The kid was Craig Fitzgibbon, the son of then Cronulla coach Allan Fitzgibbon and the Sharks ballboy through much of the ‘80s and into the ‘90s.
Fitzgibbon was on the sidelines the last time a first-grade game was played at Henson Park, when the Roosters toppled Cronulla 16-11 in a Round 22 match on August 26, 1990.
The memories from that match are set to come flooding back this weekend when top-flight rugby league returns to the iconic Inner West venue for the first time in 36 years for the Sharks Witzer Pre-Season Challenge clash with the Eels on Sunday.
“My dad’s first year as an assistant was in 1984, I was born in ’77 so I was only a young kid when I started spending time around the team,” the current Cronulla coach told NRL.com.
“As I got older I started to get an appreciation of footy and it started to shape my idols as a fan. What an experience as a kid, walking around on the sideline when you love the game of footy. It was awesome and a privilege.”
Fitzgibbon has spent countless hours at Henson Park throughout his life as a ballboy, player and now a coach.
While it’s been 36 years since top-flight rugby league was held at the ground, it remains a crucial venue for junior rugby league and the lower grades.
The Roosters used it as a base for their junior teams for many years, with the Newtown Jets maintaining a link to history through their involvement in NSW Cup.
The iconic King George V Memorial Grandstand continues to stand proudly on the western side of the field, with grass hills sweeping around the eastern and northern flanks.
“My first real memories of Henson are playing junior reps with the Steelers,” Fitzgibbon said.
“I love going back there. I’ve been lucky enough the Roosters had an affiliation when I was there as a player and as a coach. Now the Sharks, so I’ve spent heaps of time at Henson. When our schedules don’t collide, I love going out there watching the boys play.
“It’s awesome, it’s such a good vibe, the atmosphere is great. We love our relationship with the Jets, I’m really looking forward to it. It’s got such a homely feel for a lot of our guys, hopefully it’s a good crowd and the weather's good. As a Sharks team, it’s been a long time since the Sharks colours played at the ground.”
Fitzgibbon has named a mix of youth and experience for Sunday’s match, with experienced forwards Braden Uele, Tom Hazelton and Toby Rudolf to lead the charge up front.
Rookie fullback Liam Ison will play his first game since tearing his ACL playing for the Jets in Round 1 last year, while 21-year-old Michael Gabrael will line up in the centres.
The match will mark Jonah Pezet’s first outing in Eels colours, with Isaiah Iongi to start at fullback and J’maine Hopgood in the front row.
Cronulla have turned Sunday’s game into a five-match festival of rugby league, with junior grades flowing all the way through to the NRL clash.
The Harold Matthews game will kick off at 10.30am, followed by SG Ball, Jersey Flegg, reserve grade and the first-grade match at 6pm.
'Have a good day out': Stonestreet excited for Henson Park return
There will also be plenty of action off the field, with the event doubling as a summer edition of the Jets’ highly-popular Beer Footy Food Festival. The reaction from fans has been positive and a crowd exceeding 5000 fans is expected on Sunday.
The event has been multiple years in the making, with Cronulla officials initially exploring hosting an NRLW regular season match at Henson Park.
Those plans remain in the works, while Sharks CEO Dino Mezzatesta hopes the Pre-Season Challenge game becomes an annual event.
“We’re expecting this to be a success and we’re looking to build on this year,” Mezzatesta said. “Whether it’s against the Parramatta Eels every year or a different opponent, I’m not sure but we’ll give it a good go this year with the intent that we’re going to continue to build.
“One of the attractions of having five games is having the 17s and 19s being able to stay and watch the NRL side. We know how passionate they are and that’s what they aspire to, that’s why you’re in those teams.
“If you’re there and mingling with the boys as they come in and looking at the guys above you, it’s a great environment to be motivated and continue on your dream in the future.”
A quick look at the team list for the last match played at Henson Park reveals a who’s who of rugby league royalty on both sides of the ball.
Ettingshausen and Michael Porter scored tries for the Sharks, while Steve Georgallis lined up at halfback in a Roosters side also featuring Trevor Gillmeister and Hugh McGahan as captain-coach.
The match also doubled as Steve Morris’ final game of rugby league before he hung up the boots.
Georgallis will be back at Henson Park on Sunday in his capacity as Eels pathways coaching director.
1990 was a largely forgettable year for the Roosters, but the retired playmaker has plenty of fond memories of the suburban ground.
“We did a lot of training at Henson Park in the ‘80s and ‘90s and played there while they built the old Sydney Football Stadium,” Georgallis said. “It was a ground that had that real community ground feeling, which was much more common back then.
“The atmosphere was unique. There was no massive grandstand, everyone was on the hill having a beer, watching the footy. When you look out at the crowd, they were quite vocal, a lot of families on the hill, kids rolling down the hills with pieces of cardboard.
“I remember working in the city at the Commonwealth Bank and then catching the train to Henson Park for training. I’d walk down from the station and would get to know the community, say hello to everyone along the street. Of course we’d also go to a few pubs around the area, they are really good memories.”
They’re memories that will come flooding back this weekend for what shapes as a celebration of the past, present and future of rugby league.
Rugby league is back for 2026. Catch all the action from the second week of the Witzer Pre-Season Challenge from Thursday night live on Kayo and Fox Sports.
