Cronulla finished narrowly outside the top-four, but still launched an assault on the premiership in the finals before ultimately coming up short.
Craig Fitzgibbon has constructed a powerful side that can trouble any team on their day, yet the coach admitted after a defeat in a preliminary final that they were missing the final piece of the puzzle.
Can the Sharks improve enough in the off-season to make that all-important final step or has this group gone as far as possible?
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Cronulla Sharks predicted team list for Round 1
1. Will Kennedy
2. Sione Katoa
3. Jesse Ramien
4. KL Iro
5. Sam Stonestreet
6. Braydon Trindall
7. Nicho Hynes
8. Addin Fonua-Blake
9. Blayke Brailey
10. Oregon Kaufusi
11. Briton Nikora
12. Teig Wilton
13. Jesse Colquhoun
14. Sifa Talakai
15. Toby Rudolf
16. Thomas Hazelton
17. Braden Hamlin-Uele
Sharks latest team news ahead of Round 1
Will Kennedy secured his future in the Shire after potentially being out of the door all season. He will line up in the No.1 jersey once again in a settled backline.
Sione Katoa and Ronaldo Mulitalo were set to combine on the wings. However, disaster struck in the Pacific Championships with the latter suffering an ACL injury that will see him miss a large chunk of the 2026 campaign.
Sam Stonestreet could get the nod on the flank as a result of the blow, while Jesse Ramien and KL Iro will combine in the centres.
Braydon Trindall and Nicho Hynes will continue to work on their combination in the halves, although they have lost their depth as Daniel Atkinson has moved on to St George Illawarra.
Addin Fonua-Blake had a strong first season for Cronulla following his arrival from New Zealand and the prop will be looking to build on his performances.
Oregon Kaufusi and Toby Rudolf will likely compete for the other starting spot in the engine room.
Blayke Brailey enjoyed career-best form in 2025 that ended up with him earning a call-up to the Australian squad for the Ashes. He has a mortgage on the No.9 jersey.
Briton Nikora lost his starting spot in the backrow during the business end of the season to Billy Burns after he previously copped a lengthy suspension. The Kiwi star will be confident of gaining it back for the start of 2026.
Teig Wilton will line up on the other edge, while Jesse Colquhoun could be handed the No.13 jersey in the absence of Cameron McInnes, who suffered an ACL injury late last season.
Sifa Talakai provided plenty of punch off the pine and will be used off there once again in 2026, while Thomas Hazelton and Braden Hamlin-Uele will also feature in the 17.