Allan Fitzgibbon Explained

Allan Fitzgibbon
Fullname:Allan Fitzgibbon
Birth Place:Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
Club1:Balmain Tigers
Year1start:1968
Year1end:70
Appearances1:42
Tries1:7
Goals1:0
Fieldgoals1:0
Points1:21
Year2start:1972
Year2end:73
Appearances2:20
Tries2:3
Goals2:0
Fieldgoals2:0
Points2:9
Teama:New South Wales
Yearastart:1968
Appearancesa:1
Triesa:0
Goalsa:0
Fieldgoalsa:0
Pointsa:0
Teamb:NSW Country
Yearbstart:1971
Appearancesb:1
Triesb:0
Goalsb:0
Fieldgoalsb:0
Pointsb:0
Coachteam1:Illawarra Steelers
Coachyear1start:1982
Coachyear1end:83
Coachgames1:52
Coachwins1:14
Coachdraws1:0
Coachlosses1:38
Coachteam2:Cronulla Sharks
Coachyear2start:1988
Coachyear2end:91
Coachgames2:92
Coachwins2:50
Coachdraws2:5
Coachlosses2:37
Coachteam3:Illawarra Steelers
Coachyear3start:1995
Coachgames3:18
Coachwins3:8
Coachdraws3:1
Coachlosses3:9
Retired:yes
Source:[1]

Allan Fitzgibbon is an Australian former rugby league footballer and coach. He played for the Balmain Tigers between 1968 and 1970, and appeared in the 1969 Grand Final where the Tigers won in an upset against the South Sydney Rabbitohs, and for Hull Kingston Rovers during the 1972–73 season. His son, Craig Fitzgibbon, became an international representative rugby league player, and will be head coach of the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks from 2022, the same role Allan held in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Following his playing career with Balmain, Fitzgibbon coached Dapto between 1971 and 1981, from which he represented Country in 1973. In 1982, he became the first coach of the Illawarra Steelers and guided the team through their first two seasons in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership.[2] He would later coach the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks between 1988 and 1991, taking the club to its inaugural minor premiership in his first year at the helm, although consecutive post-season losses left the Sharks unable to advance beyond the semi-finals. In 1995, he took charge of the Steelers once again, becoming their caretaker coach following the mid-season sacking of Graham Murray.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org. Rugby League Project. 31 December 2017. 1 January 2018.
  2. Book: Rugby League: Action '85. Lester, Gary. Fairfax Publishing. Sydney. 1984. 30. 0-909558-83-3.