Cronulla Sharks back-rower Wade Graham has revealed the reason his contract talks seemed to stall as the 32-year-old veteran chased one more season in the famous black, white and blue.
Graham's contract situation drew plenty of attention towards the end of the season, and there were regular questions over whether he'd be retiring after playing 277 NRL games since 2008. Though he was off-contract, he had no intention of leaving the club.
“It was a fairly easy conversation to be honest, me and (coach) ‘Fitzy' were in constant dialogue throughout the year,” Graham told SEN 1170 Afternoons.
“We sort of knew where we were heading towards the back-end of the year. It was more of a timing and priority thing, the club's priority and obviously my priority.
“We've got a lot of guys off-contract here who are not only the future and (present) of the club, these are the guys who need to be looked after ASAP.”
That sense of urgency meant Graham was happy to bide his time with an eye to the future as the club ensured they kept as many pieces as possible from their constantly improving side.
“We've got a number of guys who are important and integral to the club going forward. I was happy for them to take priority and the club to get the future of those guys sorted out,” Graham said.
“As soon as the season was finished it was pretty simple. The conversation between me and Fitzy had moved to ‘get it done' – it was just a matter of timing.”
The Sharks went on a massive retention spree in 2022, locking down the futures of a number of junior prospects including Jesse Colquhoun, Kade Dykes, Tom Hazelton, Kayal Iro and Ronaldo Mulitalo as well as other experienced players including Blayke Brailey and Matt Moylan.
More announcements are expected in the coming weeks as the Sharks look to retain the majority of their side after an impressive second-place finish in 2022.
