{"id":331635,"date":"2025-12-07T00:12:10","date_gmt":"2025-12-07T00:12:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/331635\/"},"modified":"2025-12-07T00:12:10","modified_gmt":"2025-12-07T00:12:10","slug":"sharks-sign-rugby-legend-to-their-coaching-ranks-nrl-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/331635\/","title":{"rendered":"Sharks sign rugby legend to their coaching ranks – NRL News"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Cronulla Sharks<\/a> have pulled off one of the most unique coaching signings in recent NRL<\/a> memory, with the hopes securing their first premiership in 10 years.<\/p>\n

The Sharks have signed French rugby union legend Frederic Michalak to join Craig Fitzgibbon’s staff from mid-2026.<\/p>\n

Michalak, a four-time Rugby World Cup representative for France<\/a> and one of the most decorated fly-halves of the professional era, will link up with the Sharks after completing his commitments with European powerhouse Racing 92.<\/p>\n

The 43-year-old will effectively replace long-time assistant Josh Hannay<\/a>, who departs to take up a senior coaching role at the Gold Coast Titans<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"NRLTOWNSVILLE, AUSTRALIA – JULY 27: Sharks assistant coach Josh Hannay looks on before the start of dthe round 21 NRL match between North Queensland Cowboys and Cronulla Sharks at Qld Country Bank Stadium, on July 27, 2024, in Townsville, Australia. (Photo by Ian Hitchcock\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Renowned internationally for his flair, vision and elite game management, Michalak scored 436 points across 77 Tests for France<\/a> during a 15-year career that included stints at Toulouse, Toulon, Lyon and South Africa’s Sharks.<\/p>\n

Despite never playing rugby league, Michalak is no stranger to the NRL<\/a> system or the Sharks’ club.<\/p>\n

He previously worked with the Sharks as a kicking and skills consultant in 2022, the same season star half Nicho Hynes<\/a> claimed the Dally M Medal.<\/p>\n

Michalak also collaborated with Fitzgibbon and Luke Keary<\/a> during a consultancy stint at the Sydney Roosters<\/a>, working closely with Trent Robinson’s coaching team.<\/p>\n

Fitzgibbon said Michalak’s international pedigree and ability to elevate playmakers made him a standout target.<\/p>\n

\u201cFred’s experience on the international stage will be an invaluable asset for our squad, especially heading into the business end of next season,\u201d Fitzgibbon said.<\/p>\n

Fitzgibbon said the club is excited to welcome the French playmaker back once he concludes his European commitments.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Cronulla Sharks have pulled off one of the most unique coaching signings in recent NRL memory, with…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":326664,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[567],"tags":[64,63,760,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-331635","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-rugby","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-rugby","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/331635","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=331635"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/331635\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/326664"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=331635"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=331635"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=331635"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}