Hiroti steps up as Sharks chase top-four finish
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Cronulla coach Craig Fitzgibbon has backed Mawene Hiroti to fill the void left by injured centre Jesse Ramien as the Sharks look to get their top-four quest on track.
Ramien suffered a season-ending pectoral injury in last week's shock loss to the Dragons and underwent surgery on Thursday.
Hiroti has filled in on both sides of the field throughout the past couple of years when Ramien or KL Iro were unavailable, but now gets a long-term shot at his preferred right centre starting with Saturday's clash with the Raiders.
Mawene Hiroti Try
While acknowledging Ramien's absence is a big blow, Fitzgibbon said Hiroti is more than capable of stepping up in the run to the finals before he joins the Titans next year.
"We didn't want to lose Mawene," Fitzgibbon said. "He's performed strongly every time he's come into the team.
"He's played right wing, left wing, right centre, left centre. We've always felt right centre was his best position but with Jesse locking that down for so long, his opportunities in his best position has been limited.
"He's another one leaving that the boys are close with. He's been here for a long period of time and we hope to see his best in the next couple of weeks."
Match: Sharks v Raiders
Round 24 -
home Team
Sharks
4th Position
away Team
Raiders
12th Position
Venue: Ocean Protect Stadium, Sydney
Match broadcasters:
- WatchNRL
While Cronulla will be without Ramien and suspended forward Addin Fonua-Blake on Saturday, they will welcome Iro back from a concussion and Sifa Talakai from a biceps injury.
Ramien's injury brought a premature end to his time with the Sharks, with the centre to join North Queensland next season.
The 29-year-old is one of eight players departing the club at the end of the year and the group recognise this is their last chance to win a premiership together.
Ramien finishes off two Sharks pearlers
Hiroti is among the players moving on, the 27-year-old moving to the Gold Coast to link up with former Sharks assistant coach Josh Hannay.
Fitzgibbon said Ramien's absence will be felt but can sense added motivation to send him out on a high.
"It adds to it," Fitzgibbon said. "It's similar to the narrative in the [motivation] that he's leaving. It strengthens that opportunity to show what he does mean to the team and his teammates.
"We're not talking a great deal [about the departures]. We have talked about it in the past but at the moment it's about talking forward not anything in the past. It's definitely a rough time for Jesse to go out like that."
Cronulla have a chance to get their top-four quest back on track when they host the Raiders at Ocean Protect Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Last week's loss leaves the team sitting precariously in fourth place, with the fifth-placed Dolphins level on points leading into Round 24.
Dragons v Sharks - Round 23, 2026
The Knights are two points back in sixth, but have the same number of wins as those two sides and have the bye to come.
A loss to St George Illawarra at the same point in last year's season crippled Cronulla's top-four hopes and ultimately derailed their premiership quest.
The Sharks are desperate to avoid the same fate this year but Fitzgibbon's primary focus is on rebounding from a disappointing performance last weekend.
"We're not concerned at the moment with other results and ladder positions," Fitzgibbon said. "It's there and it's ever present, it's not like that talk is going to go away.
"For us, we're just going to knuckle down on playing like Sharks and getting back to perform like we were prior to last week."
