Though a strong scrummager and a tireless defender Fitzgerald preferred to run wide where he could be a dangerous attacking force.
Nonetheless, during Parramatta's surge to the finals late in 1975 his form was too good for Australian international selectors to ignore.
Fitzgerald's work as an administrator is credited with building up the "golden years" of the early to middle 1980s, and he was an original member of the NSWRL Board from 1983 until a crisis in 1992.
Australian and New South Wales representative Willie Mason was quoted, "It's the stupidest comment I’ve ever heard".
He went on to say "If there was something that I could do to ensure that the club was back on its feet, and really employing good governance rather than just talking about it, well I would only be too pleased to given that I’ve been involved with Parramatta as a player and as an administrator since 1969".