he Cronulla Sharks are bracing for a potential mass exodus of players as several key squad members eye opportunities elsewhere in the NRL, with the salary cap squeeze in the Shire beginning to take hold.
The warning signs were confirmed with the recent news that outside back Mawene Hiroti is set to leave the club, following his former assistant coach Josh Hannay to the Gold Coast Titans.
Hiroti, who arrived at Cronulla from South Sydney in 2020, is about to enter his seventh season with the Sharks and has played 34 top-grade games.
While the total number of games appears limited, many of those came last season, where he was a key cog filling in at both centre and wing while the Sharks battled injuries, scoring five tries and establishing himself in first grade.
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The Titans are reportedly closing in on a two-year deal for Hiroti starting in 2027, outbidding Cronulla despite the club’s efforts to retain him. His departure will now further test the Sharks’ depth.
Cronulla will deny any request for an early release, with Hiroti set to compete with Sam Stonestreet for a wing spot next season due to Ronaldo Mulitalo’s long-term injury and limited backup options until Mulitalo returns.
Hannay’s move to the Titans marks his first major recruitment strike against his former side after leaving Cronulla at the end of the season to take on the head coaching role on the Gold Coast.
Hiroti’s departure is just the tip of the iceberg for the Sharks, who have no fewer than 12 regular first-graders off-contract at the end of next season and currently negotiating new deals.
The names include Sam Stonestreet, Sione Katoa, Jesse Ramien, Billy Burns, Braden Hamlin-Uele, Cameron McInnes, Jesse Colquhoun, Siosifa Talakai, Toby Rudolf, and William Kennedy.
Recent rumblings suggest Colquhoun will be the next to confirm his exit, having already held advanced talks with rival clubs, including Perth, who are tipped to secure his signature shortly.
The Sharks now face the dual challenge of managing contract negotiations while retaining the nucleus of a squad that has shown promise but failed to take the next step in the search for a premiership since their maiden title in 2016.
Losing Hiroti and Colquhoun will hurt the Sharks, but it is only the start of what could be a challenging few years after the 2026 season.
Players like Blayke Brailey took a step towards superstar status last season, but with that came a significant contract upgrade.
Additionally, in recent years the club has made huge investments in luring players like Addin Fonua-Blake on a monster deal while also retaining highly paid stars like halves Brayden Trindall and Nicho Hynes.
It has all amounted to a roster that is now stuck in rugby league purgatory – the Sharks are likely to lose several players from their top-30 squad while having very limited funds to replace them.
No doubt the spotlight will be on Craig Fitzgibbons’ men from Round 1, with pressure mounting to reach a grand final while also beginning to blood the youth players who will need to step up as the NRL veterans depart.
It will be an interesting period in the Shire over the coming years, but one thing is for sure – the Sharks still have the coach and players to remain a force in the competition, provided they manage their roster astutely.