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Sport Nation
How AFB has shifted Cronulla's state of mind
Nicholas Quinlan • September 21st, 2025 6:08 pm
Jimmy Smith believes that the signing of Addin Fonua-Blake to Cronulla has been a game-changer for the club in getting them past their previous finals’ struggles.
With this being the first year of his four-year deal with the Sharks after being with the Warriors, the Tongan international has been an important piece to the their forward forward pack.
In particular, he has stepped up since the absence of captain Cameron McInnes to help the Sharks win nine of their last ten matches, which has included two finals wins, which sees them into another prelim final.
And with the experience that he provides, Smith thinks that the two-time Dally M Prop of the Year is the signing they needed to turn their regular season success into finals success.
“It feels different, it sounds different,” Smith explained on SEN's Crunch Time.
“I saw it with Greg Inglis when he went to South Sydney. He immediately started talking about winning premierships.
"Now, I played at South Sydney. You didn’t talk about winning premierships, but Greg did, and four years later, they won it.
“Brad Fittler turned up at the Roosters in 1996, and we hadn’t made the finals for so long. Freddie just brought Freddie presence (and) made the finals nine years in a row under Brad Fittler, including a 2002 Premiership and three straight Grand Finals, four in five years.
“They change the way you think. Addin Fonua-Blake is a mind changer for the rest of those guys.
“Can you imagine him in the leadership (group)? They had a leadership meeting when Cam McInnes did his knee, they went and did a day seminar and then had dinner with the leadership group.
“So, what did they talk about? Addin just talks like a winner, ‘Will you find your front and get a quick play of the ball? Cause I will, you just do your job.”
Justin Horo would agree with Smith, noting that Fonua-Blake gives the Sharks something that they had been missing under Craig Fitzgibbon’s tenure prior to this season.
“I’ve always said that they’ve got a bunch of sevens and eight’s out of ten,” Horo said.
“They’re super consistent…and I thought they were lacking a ten out of ten or a nine out of ten player.
“Addin is a nine out of ten player.”
The Sharks will be looking to progress to their first Grand Final since their 2016 premiership.
But to get there, they will have to go through the Melbourne Storm in the preliminary final.
That clash will be played in Melbourne at AAMI Park next Friday.
