The Cronulla Sharks have been a consistent picture of almost, but not quite good enough in recent seasons.
That trend continued in 2023 when the side found themselves falling short in Week 1 of the finals despite playing against a horrendously undermanned Sydney Roosters outfit.
That came after the year before where they finished in the top four on the back of Nicho Hynes' brilliance, but were still bounced out of the finals in straight sets.
The side clearly needs things to change if they want to hit the next level, and free agency ahead of 2025 could give them the opportunity to do just that.
In this series, Zero Tackle will run the rule over where each team currently stands for 2025, and what they will need to do when players off-contract at the end of 2024 become available for negotiation from November 1.
Current squad for 2025
Daniel Atkinson, Blayke Brailey, Kade Dykes, Dale Finucane, Royce Hunt, Nicho Hynes, Sione Katoa, William Kennedy, Cameron McInnes, Ronaldo Mulitalo, Briton Nikora, Jesse Ramien, Sam Stonestreet, Siosifa Talakai, Braydon Trindall, Teig Wilton
Current best 17 for 2025
1. William Kennedy
2. Sione Katoa
3. Jesse Ramien
4. Siosifa Talakai
5. Ronaldo Mulitalo
6. Braydon Trindall
7. Nicho Hynes
8. Royce Hunt
9. Blayke Brailey
10. Dale Finucane
11. Briton Nikora
12. Teig Wilton
13. Cameron McInnes
14. Daniel Atkinson
15. Kade Dykes
16. Sam Stonestreet
17. No player signed.
Players off-contract at end of 2024
Jayden Berrell, Jesse Colquhoun, Braden Hamlin-Uele, Mawene Hiroti, Kayal Iro, Matt Moylan, Niwhai Puru, Toby Rudolf, Siteni Taukamo, Connor Tracey, Jack Williams
Here are five players available to negotiate on November 1 from outside of the club the Sharks could target for 2025 and beyond.
EVERY PLAYER OFF-CONTRACT AT THE END OF 2024
Other clubs
» Brisbane Broncos
» Canberra Raiders
» Canterbury Bulldogs
5. Ata Mariota
On the topic of forwards, and at the other end of the experience spectrum, Mariota is going to be in a similar boat to Terrell May, albeit not quite as far through his career yet.
Still, he is rated as one of the best youngsters in the game, and certainly within the Canberra system, and by the end of 2024, could have added plenty of value to his contract.
It is something of a surprise that the Raiders are yet to lock him up on a long-term deal. His 16 games in 2023 were all strong enough to suggest he has a long future in the NRL, making the most of limited minutes before starting and playing 56 minutes in that crunch final against the Knights, where he came up with a career-high 193 metres and only missed a single tackle despite defence certainly not being the order of the day in that particular contest.
He has size and strength, and there is a real school of thought that suggests the Sharks should be one of the clubs entering the battle for his signature.
