The Sharks “have got a challenge in front of them” with five stars from their backline all free to talk to rivals since November 1.
Fullback Will Kennedy, wingers Ronaldo Mulitalo and Sione Katoa as well as centers Jesse Ramien and Siosifa Talakai come off contract at the end of 2023.
That means they can field offers from rivals in just under three months time which is why news corp journalist Brent Read pointed out on Triple M that the Sharks have “a huge month coming up” if they want to lock in all five players before the November 1 feeding frenzy.
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“I reckon Cronulla have got a huge month coming up,” Read said.
“I was talking to them this morning about Siosifa Talakai because they’ve been trying to re-sign him — he’s one of the November 1 guys.
“The Sharks have been talking to him ages about trying to get a new deal done, they put it off during Origin but they’ve ramped them up again.
“What makes this really interesting is that if you look at the Cronulla backline — Will Kennedy, Ronaldo Mulitalo, Jesse Ramien, Siosifa Talakai and Sione Katoa — can all sign with another club since November 1. Basically their entire backline, the club’s got about three months to tie those guys down.
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“They’ve got a challenge in front of them in terms of keeping that squad together and you’ve got to hope that it doesn’t become a bit of a distraction during finals time.
Read also highlighted how Talakai’s value has undoubtedly increased since the Sharks began talks with him given the 25-year-old has made his State of Origin debut since then.
“I would have thought his price has gone gangbusters since then,” he said.
Kennedy is also in line for a pay rise after claiming the Sharks’ Player of the Year honors last season, while Ronaldo Mulitalo became a Kiwi international this year and Jesse Ramien has been in red-hot form, as was Sione Katoa before his season- ending shoulder injury.
“It’s going to cost them a lot of money to keep all of those guys,” Read said.
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