The Sharks are primed to make a serious push for their second premiership in club history after making the 2024 preliminary final and then welcoming one of the world’s best props.
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Addin Fonua-Blake joins one of the NRL’s most settled rosters but it hasn’t all been smooth sailing for coach Craig Fitzgibbon, who lost underrated winger Sione Katoa to a serious injury on the eve of the season.
It was a tough blow but all the attention will be on ‘AFB’ and halves pairing Nicho Hynes and Braydon Trindall after the latter took over as the chief playmaker late last season.
Sharks premiership winner Mick Ennis believes the smartest approach for the Sharks this year is to have their playmakers share the attacking responsibilities equally.
“It’s been interesting listening to Craig Fitzgibbon over the summer because it sounds like it will be a role that’s shared this year,” Ennis told foxsports.com.au.
“They missed Trindall for a period last season and then they missed Nicho for a period but when they’ve been together, they’ve been dangerous.
“Cronulla don’t really play an on-the-ball half, they play a lot of different attack shapes and movements where the spine are all together and there’s not a reliance to stay on one side of the field.
“Nicho looks a lot more comfortable when Brayden and (hooker) Blayke (Brailey) are contributing and having high involvements.
“The big thing with the really good sides is they have someone who can step up when their best player is getting really targeted.
“When Hynes is getting suffocated, he needs Brayden and Blayke to step up and take control of the game.
“But with the addition of Fonua-Blake, and I love what (Will) Kennedy does to their shape, I think they’re definitely going to be in the top four again.”
Ennis believes the arrival of Fonua-Blake will have a dramatic impact on how Cronulla play and in turn their premiership chances.
“We saw how dominant he was in the Pacific Champs, just such a big body with incredible footwork, he brings so much unpredictability,” he said.
“A real area that Cronulla can continue to unlock is Blayke Brailey’s creativity out of dummyhalf and Fonua-Blake gives him the opportunity to do that with his dominance through the middle.
“The momentum of playing behind a great pack gives you time to make decisions, time to manipulate defence and find fatiguing defenders, as opposed to being on the back foot and feeling like you’ve always got defenders in your face taking time away from you.
“Last year at times when Nicho and Braydon weren’t playing, Blayke was coming out of dummy half more and I think that adds another layer to their attack.
“When Hynes is flying they’re extremely dangerous and when he was out they looked their best when Blayke was out of dummy half, so if they can get the balance of that right it adds another layer to an already impressive attack.”.
STRENGTH
Addin Fonua-Blake
Fonua-Blake was a gift out of nowhere for the Sharks after he was released by the Warriors on compassionate grounds so he could return to Sydney to be closer to family.
The Tongan international was linked with several clubs before Cronulla came from the clouds to sign the star prop.
Fonua-Blake said he’d been impressed by coach Craig Fitzigibbon’s pitch and the fact his interest in the club wasn’t leaked to the media.
If hulking front-rower can consistently put the Sharks on the front foot then their star-studded backline will do the rest.
Fellow front rowers Tom Hazelton and Braden Hamlin-Uele will provide the punch off the pine following Royce Hunt’s exit and Dale Finucane’s retirement.
WEAKNESS
Going with the big boys
It’s not quite Roosters territory, but the Sharks still struggle to compete against the competition heavyweights Melbourne and Penrith.
They beat the Storm in the regular season last year before copping a 27-point thrashing when it mattered most in the first week of finals.
Cronulla lost both their clashes against the Panthers in 2024 – including the preliminary final – by 42 and 20 points respectively.
Fitzgibbon’s men won 66 per cent of their regular-season games against sides that finished in the top eight, but that dropped to 58 per cent on the year after finals were factored in.
Beating the top sides is obviously tough – they’re the top sides for a reason – but now Fitzgibbon has the cattle, he must find a psychological edge to beat the best of the best in September.
IT’S A BIG YEAR FOR
Braydon Trindall
Trindall thought he was “100 per cent” facing the sack last season and he failed roadside tests for both drugs and alcohol.
But the club stood by him and he repaid their faith in spades with career-best form as he led the Sharks to within one win of the grand final.
Trindall delivered a man-of-the-match performance against the Cowboys last September to deliver Cronulla’s first finals win since 2018.
His $300,000 annual salary then almost tripled when he signed on a three-year extension worth more than $2.5 million in November.
That kind of money means he’s no longer the back-up half and will continue as the club’s chief playmaker – a role he moved into at the end of last season.
But with big money comes big responsibility and Trindall now needs to back up his breakout season and deliver on his pay cheque.
WHO’S UNDER PRESSURE
Will Kennedy
The Sharks were linked with signing Storm superstar Ryan Papenhuyzen last year while there was also chatter that Nicho Hynes could shift to fullback.
Off-contract fullback Kennedy had a down year in 2024 and with talented young guns Kade Dykes and Liam Ison also knocking down the door behind him, Kennedy will need a big season to stay at the club beyond 2025.
Kennedy, 27, has scored 43 tries in 107 appearances since his debut in 2019 and has been a mainstay of Craig Fitzgibbon’s side over the last three seasons.
But the club has struggled to make an impact in finals and may need to sign a X-factor fullback or look at moving Hynes there after re-signing Braydon Trindall to play halfback.
Kennedy missed just one game last year, through suspension, but he also has a history of being somewhat injury prone.
THE RISING STAR
Tuku Hau Tapuha
Hau Tapuha played 10 games for the Sharks in 2024 in a breakout season, adding to his three games for the Roosters in his rookie season in 2021.
The 22-year-old prop spent the majority of the 2024 season with the Newtown Jets on their way to the NSW Cup title, but he impressed in Cronulla’s trials earlier this month.
Hau Tapuha was regarded as one of the Roosters’ most promising young players before being squeezed out of the club at the end of the 2023 season.
The Sharks are expecting big things and more game time for Hau Tapuha in 2025 following the departures of Jack Williams (Eels) and Royce Hunt (Tigers).
The firebrand is already signed until the end of the 2026 season, but is free to negotiate with rivals from November 1 for 2027 and beyond.
THE UNLUCKY ONE
Sione Katoa
Katoa was a late scratching for Cronulla’s trip to Las Vegas for the season opener and has been ruled out for five months after suffering a serious shoulder injury in the first trial match of the year.
Katoa scored 18-tries last season and was one of their most important players at the other end of the field coming out of yardage.
The club looked into other recovery options but took the surgery path with the hope that Katoa can return halfway through the season.
“It’s been a real blow for them. Sione Katoa flies under the radar for them. Out of the back field, Sione Katoa is such a handful, I know from coaching against him,” Ennis said.
“His starts to sets are so important, very similar to Brian To’o.
“He’s just so deceptively powerful, he has great footwork and a bump. He squirms and twists on the ground to fight for a play-the-ball and filling that gap is going to be tough, he’s a significant contributor and will be sorely missed.”
FOX SPORTS LAB PREDICTED FINISH: 5th
BEST 17
1. Will Kennedy
2. Sione Katoa
3. Jesse Ramien
4. Kayal Iro
5. Ronaldo Mulitalo
6. Nicho Hynes
7. Braydon Trindall
8. Addin Fonua-Blake
9. Blayke Brailey
10. Oregon Kaufusi
11. Briton Nikora
12. Teig Wilton
13. Cameron McInnes
14. Daniel Atkinson
15. Toby Rudolf
16. Thomas Hazelton
17. Siosifa Talakai
2025 squad: Addin Fonua-Blake (2028), Billy Burns (2025), Blayke Brailey (2026), Braden Hamlin-Uele (2026), Braydon Trindall (2028), Briton Nikora (2027), Cameron McInnes (2026), Chris Vea’ila (2025), Daniel Atkinson (2025), Jayden Berrell (2025), Jesse Colquhoun (2026), Jesse Ramien (2026), Hohepa Puru (2026), Kade Dykes (2025), Mawene Hiroti (2025), Kayal Iro (2026), Liam Ison (2027), Michael Gabrael (2026), Nicho Hynes (2029), Niwhai Puru (2025), Oregon Kaufusi (MO 2025), Ronaldo Mulitalo (2025), Sam Stonestreet (2025), Sione Katoa (2026), Siosifa Talakai (2026), Teig Wilton (2027), Thomas Hazelton (CO 2025), Toby Rudolf (2026), Tukupa-Ke Hau Tapuha (2025), William Kennedy (2025)
Development players: Dylan Coutts (2025)
2025 gains: Addin Fonua-Blake (Warriors), Hohepa Puru (Raiders)
2025 losses: Jack Williams (Eels), Royce Hunt (Tigers)
2026 losses: Daniel Atkinson (Dragons)
Coach: Craig Fitzgibbon (2027)
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