Official Newtown Jets + Sharks Pathways 2026

[Sevshark]

Saw this on instagram the other day, whilst I haven't seen anything official to verify against it seems fairly accurate to me.



Pollard we already knew

Top 30 is full so Hasset and Cacciotti signings have to fill 2 dev slots.

I feel like I read something about Felix joining dev list in 26 awhile ago but memory could be tricking me there.

Only one I can say would be genuine news to me would be Dixon but think it makes sense with Ronnie's injury.

 

[SF]

Saw this on instagram the other day, whilst I haven't seen anything official to verify against it seems fairly accurate to me.

View attachment 34201

Pollard we already knew

Top 30 is full so Hasset and Cacciotti signings have to fill 2 dev slots.

I feel like I read something about Felix joining dev list in 26 awhile ago but memory could be tricking me there.

Only one I can say would be genuine news to me would be Dixon but think it makes sense with Ronnie's injury.

Yeah looks too detailed to be made up.

I’m also a bit surprised by Dixon. Had the second most errors in NSW Cup last year (though played a lot of games, and received the vast majority of kicks). I can see the logic with Ronaldo injury, but tough on Ford who had a much better season.

I never know how it all works though, he may also have been promised the spot in previous contract.

 

[Sharks NRL Prospects]

Saw this on instagram the other day, whilst I haven't seen anything official to verify against it seems fairly accurate to me.

View attachment 34201

Pollard we already knew

Top 30 is full so Hasset and Cacciotti signings have to fill 2 dev slots.

I feel like I read something about Felix joining dev list in 26 awhile ago but memory could be tricking me there.

Only one I can say would be genuine news to me would be Dixon but think it makes sense with Ronnie's injury.

Thanks mate.

If true, Dixon on dev list would be a good reward for his efforts.

When Felix re-signed it said he would will "join the senior NRL group during the upcoming pre-season". Dev list would be an upgrade.

Possibly the T&T list is just from checking out training pics rather than any actual inside info. Each of those players have been shown in photos, and in the same Felix announcement they said that several of those players would get the opportunity to do one or more NRL pre-seasons.

It would be nice if the reports would differentiate between "guys getting a pre-season" and "NRL squad train and trial players".

 

[bort]

Thanks mate.

If true, Dixon on dev list would be a good reward for his efforts.

When Felix re-signed it said he would will "join the senior NRL group during the upcoming pre-season". Dev list would be an upgrade.

Possibly the T&T list is just from checking out training pics rather than any actual inside info. Each of those players have been shown in photos, and in the same Felix announcement they said that several of those players would get the opportunity to do one or more NRL pre-seasons.

It would be nice if the reports would differentiate between "guys getting a pre-season" and "NRL squad train and trial players".

Is it possible there is no functional differentiation? They are all on the same train and trial contract whether they return to a junior contract when it ends or not?

 

[Sharks NRL Prospects]

Is it possible there is no functional differentiation? They are all on the same train and trial contract whether they return to a junior contract when it ends or not?

I suppose in the middle of December there isn't much difference.

I guess I would just expect/hope that if this was coming from a source in the know we would see a list which showed us who is on a time-bombed contract and who is on an open-ended one.

It's also true though that any player on a time-bombed contract can be invited to stay longer. E.g. Nicho at the Storm in 2020 was on a pre-Christmas T&T. Sifa and Hunt were also pre-season T&T the same year at the Sharks I believe.

Promising youngsters from the 2024 Sharks Harold Matthews team in Callum Grantham (signed until 2028), Oliver Lester (2027), Blake Whatman (2027), along with Jai Davies (2026) who played SG Ball last year before moving up into the Jersey Flegg team, have also signed multi-year contacts with the Cronulla club. During the term of their contracts all will have the opportunity to train with the NRL squad for varying periods.

 

[bort]

I suppose in the middle of December there isn't much difference.

I guess I would just expect/hope that if this was coming from a source in the know we would see a list which showed us who is on a time-bombed contract and who is on an open-ended one.

It's also true though that any player on a time-bombed contract can be invited to stay longer.

That info would definitely be interesting.

I’d assume almost all of them are on a time bound contract given T&T money (I think) comes from the supplemental cap pool just like dev contract money?

(Roosters were fined for overspending on the ‘Supplementary and Training Wage’)

If we have 5 players on a dev contract (~80k) for 2026 that wouldn’t leave a huge amount for T&T players ($1200 a week plus I think same again from nrl cap if they play nrl) from the (possibly) 650k secondary cap. If we are spending 400k of it on dev players then probably max 2 of the T&T guys will stay on the squad fulltime. Obviously who that is would be good to know - although it may not be decided yet.

 

[stalefish]

Saw this on instagram the other day, whilst I haven't seen anything official to verify against it seems fairly accurate to me.

View attachment 34201

Pollard we already knew

Top 30 is full so Hasset and Cacciotti signings have to fill 2 dev slots.

I feel like I read something about Felix joining dev list in 26 awhile ago but memory could be tricking me there.

Only one I can say would be genuine news to me would be Dixon but think it makes sense with Ronnie's injury.

seems pretty accurate.

i know atleast 7 out of the 11 train and trial players are locked down with longer term contracts.

 

[Sharks NRL Prospects]

That info would definitely be interesting.

I’d assume almost all of them are on a time bound contract given T&T money (I think) comes from the supplemental cap pool just like dev contract money?

(Roosters were fined for overspending on the ‘Supplementary and Training Wage’)

If we have 5 players on a dev contract (~80k) for 2026 that wouldn’t leave a huge amount for T&T players ($1200 a week plus I think same again from nrl cap if they play nrl) from the (possibly) 650k secondary cap. If we are spending 400k of it on dev players then probably max 2 of the T&T guys will stay on the squad fulltime. Obviously who that is would be good to know - although it may not be decided yet.

Yeah. Much of this is how I understand things too.

We don’t actually know either way though whether a junior/Flegg player on a pre-season T&T gets paid the weekly amount.

I guess this is the distinction, and we don’t know the answer. Junior/Flegg players with a pre-season only T&T may not be considered part of the supplementary list (I would guess that they are not, and it is permitted under the cap to have some number of young players to do pre-season and be paid a lesser amount).

 

[Sharks NRL Prospects]

seems pretty accurate.

i know atleast 7 out of the 11 train and trial players are locked down with longer term contracts.

Depends on your definition of "longer term" I guess. Not many signed for 2028 or beyond Flegg, but plenty signed for 2027 and if the reports are correct those players can't sign elsewhere before round 6 of their final year.

 

[stalefish]

Depends on your definition of "longer term" I guess. Not many signed for 2028 or beyond Flegg, but plenty signed for 2027 and if the reports are correct those players can't sign elsewhere before round 6 of their final year.

well the end of 2027 seems a little longer than a pre season train and trial contract in '26 doesn't it ??

 

[Tiger Shark]

well the end of 2027 seems a little longer than a pre season train and trial contract in '26 doesn't it ??

And that they were announced in October 2024

 

[Sharks NRL Prospects]

well the end of 2027 seems a little longer than a pre season train and trial contract in '26 doesn't it ??

If you just mean that each of the underage players have contracts so aren't at risk of being released, sure.

I was actually agreeing with you re 2027. For an established NRL player I wouldn't say 2 more years is "long term" because he could sign elsewhere from 1 November this year, but for a pathways player the contract rules give the club an extra 6 months (roughly) to re-sign him so 2 more years is a good buffer.

It's the same conversation as above really. The list is missing a distinction between age-level, NRL and Cup contracts, whether they are up with the NRL squad for six weeks, twelve weeks or indefinitely, and for younger players whether those contracts transition them into the NRL squad in later years. None of that's is nrlfantasyscout's fault though. He has that level of detail for some other clubs.

 

[Sharks NRL Prospects]

Fearnley, Williams, Lester, Davies, Dellow and Araullo were all shown in the training videos/photos released by the Sharks today.

 

[Sharks NRL Prospects]

@SF a few pathways players to add to your signings/re-signings thread. Most of these are somewhere in this thread and people know about already. Just summarising for you.

Ben Peni (Flegg) --> aged out and signed in the Newcastle comp
John-Paul Donevski (Flegg) --> aged out and signed with the Roosters
Cooper Hannay (Flegg) --> signed a 2 year contract for 2025 and 2026
Adrian Sandy (Flegg) --> re-signed for 2026
Ashton Simmonds (Flegg) --> re-signed for 2026
Lachlan Crouch (Sharks T&T) --> went back to the Knights mid season in a swap for Riley Jones
Kyle Pickering (Sharks T&T) --> Tweed Seagulls Qld Cup / Titans T&T

Also re: a couple you have listed already.
- Alex Isdale, as your thread says there was no announcement of years when he signed, but he was playing in the SG Ball trial before xmas so he is on board for at least 2026.
- Daniel Rakena appears on some team lists as Daniel Feki. He was Rakena in 2024 in QRL and also in SG Ball team lists, but the Sharks had him as Feki when they announced their squad, and he was listed as Feki in some non-Sharks games.

 

[Sharks NRL Prospects]

Jordin Leiu is off to the Q Cup.

Norths are a feeder for the Dolphins.

 

[Tiger Shark]

Good luck to him, was solid for the Jets

 

[Sharks NRL Prospects]

Good luck to him, was solid for the Jets

Yeah agreed.

Definite changing of the guard with Jets forwards. Since round 11 last year... Magoulias, Bradbury, Crouch, Pickering and Leiu are all gone.

Still not a lot of spots available though.

Fully healthy I reckon Hassett, Hau Tapuha, Hosking, Puru, Berrell and (probably) Fearnley and Fa'atili are automatic selections (7 players).

That leaves you three bench spots. My best guess would be:
- Betham-Misa (if he returns)
- Jones / Cacciotti
- McCullough
*
- Anyone else aged up from Flegg who we haven't heard about yet (e.g. Vito, Raymond, Crossle, Tupuailei, Nadenic)

It also raises an interesting question about Riley Jones. Even though most Sharks fans don't even acknowledge his existence he is a top 30 player so is definitely going to play somewhere. You have to pencil him in for a spot somewhere in the Jets 17 unless the idea is for him to be the dedicated 19th man in the NRL team under the proposed new interchange rules (a bit like 2023 Atko as 18th). He definitely covers a lot of spots, and it would mean he was not taking game time away from the developing players. Imagine the fan outcry if Rajab left, but Pollard stayed in Flegg for Jones to play in the halves.

 

[bort]

Probably depends on how often NRL squad players will still be able to backup for Jets as more than 2 injuries to guys above Tuks thins that Jets pack really quickly

They might want to bring someone in that can hold the fort a bit in the middle at cup level - maybe one of the Vito types can be that person I guess.

But if Tuks and say, Puru went up to NRL for a stretch and mostly couldn’t back up you’re quickly running
8 Fearnley
9 Berrell
10 Faatili
11 Hassett
12 Hosking
13 McCullough

I guess mitigated by every chance the opposition are in a similar boat on any given week

 

[Sharks NRL Prospects]

Probably depends on how often NRL squad players will still be able to backup for Jets as more than 2 injuries to guys above Tuks thins that Jets pack really quickly

They might want to bring someone in that can hold the fort a bit in the middle at cup level - maybe one of the Vito types can be that person I guess.

But if Tuks and say, Puru went up to NRL for a stretch and mostly couldn’t back up you’re quickly running
8 Fearnley
9 Berrell
10 Faatili
11 Hassett
12 Hosking
13 McCullough

I guess mitigated by every chance the opposition are in a similar boat on any given week

Yeah. Looking thin so I reckon they have to add. We don't know which Jets guys are back, but JJBM played almost every game so I'd say if he's around he gets a jersey. I don't love Hosking as a second rower but he does a job (I really like him as a middle though).. Ideally they find someone else to fill that spot.

It does create opportunities for the older Flegg guys to come up though, and then obviously that flows on to the 19 or 20 year old players to get some game time in Flegg.

Weird year for depth players too. Vito I thought was strong for most of the year but hardly played in the final when they got knocked out. Luke Raymond was really highly rated at 18-19 and was a regular in 2024 but didn't play that much last year. Davies also highly rated but missed the whole year injured. William Charles is confirmed under contract this year but also hardly played. There are a lot of question marks in that "next man up" bracket once you get past McCullough. The next batch (Araullo, Challenor, Sele, Dellow, White) are all a step or two below NSW Cup level at this stage in my opinion.

Fitzgibbon also described Cacciotti as a "hooker/lock" in an interview so both he and Berrell could also factor in as running forwards.

 

[bort]

Yeah. Looking thin so I reckon they have to add. We don't know which Jets guys are back, but JJBM played almost every game so I'd say if he's around he gets a jersey. I don't love Hosking as a second rower but he does a job. Ideally they find someone else to fill that spot.

It does create opportunities for the older Flegg guys to come up though, and then obviously that flows on to the 19 or 20 year old players to get some game time in Flegg.

Weird year for depth players too. Vito I thought was strong for most of the year but hardly played in the final when they got knocked out. Luke Raymond was really highly rated at 18-19 and was a regular in 2024 but didn't play that much last year. Davies also highly rated but missed the whole year injured. William Charles is confirmed under contract this year but also hardly played. There are a lot of question marks in that "next man up" bracket once you get past McCullough. The next batch (Araullo, Challenor, Sele, Dellow, White) are all a step or two below NSW Cup level at this stage in my opinion.

Assuming he returns JJBM easily stays on bench or in above scenario may well start over Felix.

Unless Jets bring in someone their bench could use a lot of the most Cup ready couple of Araullo, Challenor, Sele, Dellow, White, Vito
You'd like to see a couple get a few chances, but like you say, a lot might be more than they are quite up to yet (happy to be proven wrong!)

Coutts left as I recall as the other inhouse second rower that could have possibly taken that spot. At the moment it appears to default to Hosking, especially with Puru and McCullough as locks already. Again though, could bring someone in. Leiu would have been good to keep here as a starter second row or experienced bench forward option.