Departing Knight Fitzgibbon excited for Super League challenge

Fitzgibbon, who spent the best part of a decade at the Knights, finishing as a one-club player in the NRL, departs for England this week bound for Super League side Warrington Wolves.

The back-rower has joined the English club, to be coached by Rabbitohs legend Sam Burgess, until the end of the 2026 season.

While the Knights haven't won a men's first-grade competition since 2001, Fitzgibbon's new team haven't claimed a league title since 1955, an incredible 68 years.

Ending the long-running drought, which is in contrast to the Wolves' Challenge Cup success - they've won four since 2009 - is a feat Fitzgibbon knows his new club are desperate to achieve and one he hopes to be a part of.

"They're a big, strong club and have been thereabouts the last couple of years, they just haven't managed to get the job done," Fitzgibbon told the Newcastle Herald, ahead of his flight to England.

"They've got a strong squad and I thought with the addition of myself and a couple of other players they've signed, they're going to be in contention over the next few years to win some league titles and hopefully some Challenge Cups.

"They were confident of that and they felt like I could be a good fit for being involved.

"To hopefully be a part of that would be pretty cool and something special."

Fitzgibbon's mid-season decision this year to head abroad brought his near decade-long Knights NRL career to an end at the conclusion of the club's 2023 campaign.

The South Newcastle junior had his best season in years, making 21 appearances - a number only matched by his 2018-19 campaigns.

He has no regrets about leaving despite Newcastle's marked improvement and 10-game winning run to the second week of the finals.

"The Super League was always on my radar," he said.

"I'd always wanted to try my hand overseas, try a different competition, and the Super League is a really strong competition at the moment.

"Rugby league works in little windows and timings, and I just felt like this year was probably the right time to head over.

"I had a good opportunity and a good deal at Warrington to spend three years over there, and you just never know - off the back of my year this year, and we had a decent year, the Knights, you just never know if I'd stayed another year, would this opportunity have been available for the following year?

"So I thought the window was right and the opportunity was there."

Fitzgibbon, who recently had shoulder surgery but is on-track to begin pre-season training, signed with Wolves before the club installed first-time coach Sam Burgess.

He has only had brief talks with his new mentor but is looking forward to playing under the 2014 Clive Churchill Medallist.

"I'm super keen to link up with him. I had the pleasure of playing against him a few times, and he was such a great leader and player, so I'm sure that will reflect in his coaching," Fitzgibbon said.

"He's a proud Englishman, so going over there and being successful will be huge for him, I imagine."

Fitzgibbon's time at the Knights came to an end in the 30-28 win over Canberra, Newcastle's first home final since 2006 and a third consecutive sell-out.

A shoulder injury prevented him from playing the following week in New Zealand, but he views his last game as the perfect send-off.

"I know I finished with an injury, but I got to finish at home, in front of a record-breaking crowd and in a semi-final win," he said.

"I couldn't have asked for much more ... It was bittersweet of course, but it was a good way to go out."

Busy with his impending move, Fitzgibbon has had little time to reflect on his Knights journey but is proud of his achievements and how far the club has come.

He played 119 NRL games and scored 32 tries.

"From where we were when I debuted in 2015, the turnover of players we had at that time - this year I was the only one still there from 2015, besides 'Gags' who left and came back," he said.

"From where I started with the club, winning three wooden-spoons, to leaving it in a position where I feel the club will be playing finals footy, hopefully, over the next 10 years.

"That's probably what I'm most proud of, leaving the club there."

Asked how far off he believes the Knights are from contending for a title, Fitzgibbon said: "I don't think we're very far at all.

"Against the Warriors, I just think we ran out of troops. We won 10 straight and were on a high.

"I truly believe if we had our full, fit complement we could have done something special at the back end there, but it wasn't to be."

Debut: Round 21, 2015 (vs St George Illawarra)

NRL games: 119

NRL tries: 32

Favourite game: Elimination final, 2023. Knights 30 Raiders 28.

Favourite try: Round 2, 2023. In his 100th game, Fitzgibbon scored in the 15th minute of Newcastle's 14-12 win over Wests Tigers.