Cronulla Sharks cult hero Toby Rudolf has revealed he is managing his own contract negotiations in a pivotal year for both himself and the club.
Rudolf enters the 2026 season off contract, with a staggering 15 Sharks players also due to hit the open market at the end of the year, a reality that has heightened the sense that the club's premiership window is closing fast.
One of the most popular figures in the NRL, Rudolf plays many roles at the Sharks.
Known as the team's chief morale booster and resident larrikin, the front-rower is also a key pillar of the Sharks' forward pack as they look to finally get over the hump after back-to-back preliminary final exits.
Speaking to Fox Sports, Rudolf revealed he has recently taken on a new role, player manager, with himself as his sole client.
“I had a manager in Luke Lewis and I was paying him a percentage, but then he decided to go into coaching, so he just sort of went away from it,” Rudolf said.
“At this age I'm somewhat established now, I feel like I know what I'm worth.”
He said working as his own agent is a personal goal, however he's not naive to the difficulty of the position.
“I just wanted to test myself on the market and see if I could do it,” he said.
“And if it gets too difficult, I might get someone on board.
“I'm not completely opposed to it, but so far it's gone pretty well.”
Despite fielding interest and having conversations across the competition, Rudolf stressed his priority remains staying at Cronulla.
“The priority is to stay here, I've loved every year I've had here,” he said.
“It can be a dangerous formula when you try to fix something that isn't broken, but we'll see how the year plays out.”
