Cronulla have hired Andrew Gray to head their physical performance department for the next three NRL seasons.

Gray is currently contracted to St George Illawarra but will join the Sharks later this year.

The qualified physiotherapist has been involved with the Dragons’ NRL team since 1999, and for the past two years has been responsible for all aspects of strength and conditioning, sports science, injury management, recovery and athlete development.

He’s also previously worked with the NSW State of Origin team as their sports science specialist and physio.

Gray replaces high performance manager David Boyle, who is joining Penrith after two seasons at the Sharks.

“I strongly believe in an integrated and systematic approach to physical development for rugby league players and my goals are to ensure that our NRL team is in peak condition for the start of the 2015 season, and also that we provide our younger players with the best chance of having a successful NRL career,” he said in a statement on Tuesday.

Sharks chief executive Steve Noyce said Gray would be an enormous asset to the club, given his credentials and expertise in the field.