Is 2026 a make or break year for the Sharks?

Following some consistent home and away season performances under coach Craig Fitzgibbon, the AAP’s Scott Bailey feels that this season is a make-or-break year for the Sharks.

After taking the reins in 2022, the former Roosters assistant hit the ground running in the Shire, having made the top in his first year.

However, despite their continued success in the home and away season, having not missed the finals, they have yet to make the Grand Final, leaving doubts about their ability to take the next step.

And with the likes of Will Kennedy, Sione Katoa, Toby Rudolf and Cam McInnes all coming out of contract at season’s end, the pressure is on the playing group to make the most of the existing talent within the side.

As a result, Bailey thinks that 2026 is an important year for the Craig Fitzgibbon era at Cronulla.

“It’s also a bit of a make or break year for the Sharks,” he explained on SEN’s Front Office.

“There’s a bit of a feeling there is a lot of guys coming off contract (this year).

“This group, they’ve been together for four years now under Fitzy, and they’ve been climbing the ladder, it feels like. They’ve went second week of finals (in ’22), first week of finals (in '23), prelim and prelim.

“They lose a few at the end of this year, and they would really want to get the job done this season.

“It feels like a really big year in the context of the era of the Sharks.”

Within the playing group, there has been an increased focus on the side’s halves pairing in Nicho Hynes and Braydon Trindall, with a belief that the two should swap their positions to unlock their true potential.

But speaking at the club’s season launch, Hynes was quick to respond to any criticism surrounding the combination, believing they had been disrespected.

“It feels like we’re back at the end of last season,” Bailey said.

“If you recall, in the finals, Nicho was very vocal in talking about the fact that he felt that Cronulla had been disrespected, people didn’t acknowledge that they had been to two preliminary finals in a row, they have been to four finals series in a row.

“And almost unprompted at the Cronulla season launch, when asked about his combination with Braydon Trindall, his response straight away essentially was, ‘Well, people talk about us as being the most under pressure halves pairing in the NRL, I don’t see how that’s the case after making the last two preliminary finals’.

“Nicho is certainly one where these things seep through to him regarding the commentary around his pairing and the pressure he might be under.”

The Sharks will now be preparing for their opening round clash against the Gold Coast Titans at Ocean Protect Stadium.

The two teams will battle it out on March 7 with a kick-off at 5:30pm AEDT.