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Why the Sharks are "ripe" for a premiership in 2026
Nicholas Quinlan •  January 3rd, 2026 2:35 pm
Luke Keary is confident that the Sharks will be able to improve from their fifth-place finish in 2025 to finish in the top four for the third time in five years.
Having been one of the most consistent home and away teams during the last four seasons, the main questions surrounding Cronulla have been their performances in finals.
Under their first two years under Craig Fitzgibbion, they would go out in straight sets in 2022 before losing an elimination final in 2023, raising questions as to whether they can make the most of their potential.
But following back-to-back preliminary final appearances, which saw them win three of their last five finals matches, the former Souths and Sydney five-eighth thinks that the Craig Fitzgibbon-led side will hit its prime in 2026.
“I’m bullish,” Keary declared on SEN 1170’s Boys of Summer.
“I’ve liked them for a number of years. I played against this exact squad a couple of years ago.
“I just think, and there’s a lot of talk about…this might be this squad’s last one.
“But just looking through them, this (2026) should be in their prime for a lot of them.
“They’ve got a very good team. Two prelims in a row, they’ve run into Melbourne and Penrith.
“I just reckon they are ripe to go. People are going to be down on them this year because they (will) think they (Cronulla) have missed their chance, they are an aging squad going backwards a little bit, (and) they have had no big additions.
“I think people are going to be down (on them) and a little bit bored, but I reckon…top four (finish), easy.”
But for his co-host, Michael Carayannis, he does hold some slight reservations about placing in the top four.
“My thing with the Sharks is I don’t think they have got a team to go to that next level,” Carayannis explained.
“And that comes down to X-Factor, players who can create something out of nothing.
“One of those players that can do that is Ronaldo Mulitalo, who is going to miss the first half of the season through (an ACL) injury. So, that’s a huge loss for them.
“Addin Fonua-Blake was a really good addition, but I thought Blayke Brailey’s game went to another level.
“So, there are some positives there, but I just don’t know.
“You look at their backline, who’s someone that when the game is on the line, you’ve got Reece Walsh, you’ve got Nathan Cleary, you’ve got (Cameron) Munster, you’ve got (James) Tedesco.
“Who’s that for Cronulla?”
The Sharks will begin their NRL campaign in 2026 against the Gold Coast Titans at Ocean Protect Stadium in Sydney.
That will be played on March 7.
