Craig Fitzgibbon

Dapto junior, the son of former Steelers and Cronulla coach Allan Fitzgibbon, came off the bench with the newly-merged St George I’warra Dragons in the 1999 grand final and scored the opening try of the match. Following the 20-18 loss to Melbourne Fitzgibbon moved to the Roosters in 2000; a season in which the club made a return to the grand final for the first time in 25 years. Trailing 14-2 against the Broncos, Fitzgibbon scored the try that put the Roosters back into the match but his sideline conversion attempt hit the crossbar. The hard-running back-rower was a Country Origin rep in 2001 but a wrist injury late in the season kept him out of Kangaroo Tour contention. All that was to change in 2002; a season in which Fitzgibbon won the Clive Churchill Medal for his tireless display in the Roosters’ grand final win over the Warriors and then made his Test debut as an interchange player against NZ in October. Fitzgibbon’s phenomenal work-rate, and his ability to kick goals from anywhere on the field, has made him a mainstay of the NSW and Australian teams in ensuring years. He toured England with the Kangaroos in consecutive years (2003-05); seasons in which grand final losses to Penrith (2003) and the Bulldogs (2004) brought his grand final strike-rate to 1 win from 5 appearances.