This from Fox Sports today:
SHARKS STAR FACES UNCERTAIN FUTURE AMID PAPENHUYZEN LINKS
The future of William Kennedy at the Sharks is in doubt amid suggestions Cronulla are eying Ryan Papenhuyzen as their fullback. Kennedy is one of 15 Sharks players coming off-contract in 2025, alongside Ronaldo Mulitalo and Cameron McInness. The Sharks can’t keep all their players and make a splash on the open market. They could look to focus on young fullbacks Kade Dykes and Liam Ison and free up salary cap space to target a big name. The Sydney Morning Herald’s Michael Chammas revealed on James Graham’s The Bye Round podcast that the club may look to let Kennedy go, with Nicho Hynes or Papenhuyzen a chance to play fullback for the club. “I’m hearing murmurs around Will Kennedy’s future,” Chammas said. “I don’t know if he’s as secure at the Sharks as we might have thought originally. They obviously haven’t gotten past the second week of the finals for a number of years.“He’s a free agent November 1. What happens with Will Kennedy and do the Sharks have a play at Ryan Papenhuyzen?...or do they move Will Kennedy on and Nicho Hynes becomes the fullback?” Kennedy, 27, has scored 43 tries in 107 appearances since his debut in 2019 and has been a mainstay of Craig Fitzgibbon’s side over the last three seasons. But the club has struggled to make a deep finals runs and they may need to look at switching Hynes to fullback after re-signing Braydon Trindall to play halfback. Despite his injury history, signing a player of the calibre of Papenhuyzen would be too good an opportunity to pass up and that could see Hynes switch to five-eighth.
SHARKS JOIN RACE TO SIGN PLAYMAKER AS COVER FOR STAR
The Sharks are reportedly eyeing former Warriors and Dragons halfback Ronald Volkman as cover should Daniel Atkinson leave the club. The Sharks locked up halfback Braydon Trindall with a three-year extension, which makes Atkinson’s future uncertain at the club. Cashed up NRL rivals could make a play for Atkinson and he may have to leave the Sharks to get a starting spot. Newscorp reported the Sharks have joined the Manly Sea Eagles and the Parramatta Eels in pursuit of Volkman. The 22-year-old has played five games for the Warriors and one Test for Samoa to date, but hasn’t played NRL since a failed bid to join the Dragons, who reneged on the deal due to a pre-existing injury.Volkman spent the entire 2024 season recovering from a shoulder injury that threatened his career, but is back and ready to resume playing. It is understood that Volkman will decide on his new home in the coming days as he attempts to secure a spot on a Top 30 roster.The Sharks were first linked with Volkman at the beginning of September, but interest in him had cooled before the 22-year-old met with the other two clubs
SHARKS BOOM DEAL FOR NIKORA
The Sharks are reportedly set to re-sign gun back-rower Briton Nikora with a contract extension. The Daily Telegraph reported Nikora is set to ink a two-year extension that will keep him at the club until at least the end of 2027. It is a massive boost for the Sharks given Nikora was one of the best back-rowers coming off-contract in 2025 and free to negotiate with rivals from November 1. Nikora had the option of testing his worth on the open market, but ignored the opportunity of playing elsewhere to remain loyal to the Sharks. The 26-year-old is one of 12 players from Cronulla whose contracts expire at the end of 2025.Nikora has scored 43 tries in 136 games for the club since his debut in 2019 and has also played 13 Tests for New Zealand. The brilliant hole runner had 10 tries last season, the most of any Sharks player. The fact that Nikora invited a large contingent of his teammates, coach Craig Fitzgibbon and chairman Steve Mace, to his wedding in Bali last month, shows how much the club means to him. Nikora will officially put pen to paper once he returns to Australia this week following his honeymoon.Nikora’s imminent re-signing comes on the back of Braydon Trindall signing a $2.4 million extension. The Sharks have Cameron McInnes, Daniel Atkinson, Kade Dykes, Ronaldo Mulitalo, Sam Stonestreet, Teig Wilton, Tom Hazelton, Tuku Hau Tapuha and William Kennedy off-contract at the end of 2025.Star prop Oregon Kaufusi has also committed to the Sharks for the 2025 season.
Hynes switch could spark sacrifice as star set for exit; Addo-Carr’s Eels meeting: Nov 1 LIVE
www.foxsports.com.au
