Official Signings, Transfers & Recruitment Discussion

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Thread for any general NRL or Sharks signing news, speculation or discussion. For any Sharks signings announcements, please copy to the "2025 Sharks Squad+ Signings Announcements" thread

bort

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Really surprised Dolphins didn't keep him or Warriors didn't bring him home to NZ. Must be something the clubs know and we don't. Dolphins had a million injuries last year and he still didn't get a run.
Wouldn't surprise me if he was able to upsell himself to make Japan a better money move. Especially if he wasn't sold on sticking out his transition to League. Good stepping block for him back into union with professional League highlights to be paid for.
 

Gumby

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Huge difference playing Nrl and division 5 Japanese rugby lol
Do think he was worth taking a punt on though, wanted us to try get him here on a cheap 1 year deal but wasn't to be.
 

Capital_Shark

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The lard arse racked up a highlight reel against us and that was about the end of him. Kind of like Charlie ‘The Forbes Ferrari’ Stains, except that poor prick ended up at the Tigers. Give me Japan any day except maybe August 6, 1945.
 

Go Nulla

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Wow we might even beat the Dolphins for the first time ever this year
 

egg

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‘I want him to run straight’: Shark ready to battle against former teammate​

“Royce knows what’s up.”​

Ethan Lee Chalk
Ethan Lee Chalk
WRITER | February 4, 2025 - 10:38am
318

After four seasons and 75 games with the Cronulla Sharks, Royce Hunt will line up for his third team this season, thus creating an impending showdown with his former Sharks teammates in Round 8.

Known as a notorious hardman and enforcer, no love will be lost when Hunt takes on his former team, filled with close friends and individuals with whom he used to spend all his time.
Starting his career at the Canberra Raiders, the forward was offered a lifeline by the Sharks in 2020. There, he found career-best form for the club, making five international appearances for Samoa and playing a key role in their continued appearances in the NRL Finals.
However, his time came to a premature end at the conclusion of last season and he ended up inking a three-year contract with the Wests Tigers to line up alongside Terrell May, Fonua Pole and David Klemmer.
As the hardman prepares to go against his previous team in Round 8 at Leichhardt Oval, his former teammates are patiently waiting to face off against him, particularly Braden Hamlin-Uele.
"Royce knows what's up. Royce knows what's up," Hamlin-Uele said jokingly to Zero Tackle about the impending match with his close friend and former Sharks teammate.
"I want him to run straight at me off kick-off. He's a big boy so if I get my body in the wrong position, I'll come off second best but we'll see what happens.
"We sort of had like a running battle at training. I would give him a good shot and then he'd hit me five seconds too late off the ball but he'd still claim it."
NRL Rd 3 - Raiders v Sharks
CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 19: Royce Hunt of the Sharks is tackled during the round three NRL match between Canberra Raiders and Cronulla Sharks at GIO Stadium on March 19, 2023 in Canberra, Australia. (Photo by Mark Nolan/Getty Images)
Hunt's move to the Wests Tigers came after the Sharks informed him that, following the recruitment of Addin Fonua-Blake from the New Zealand Warriors, they didn't have the funds in the salary cap to offer him a contract extension.
Although he was a regular member of the first-grade team, the club decided to focus on retaining and growing its younger talent, such as Tuku Hau Tapuha and Jesee Colquhoun.
These players are considerably younger than him and at this point in their careers, are likely to have a longer future.
Other young forwards slowly progressing through the ranks include Jersey Flegg Cup skipper Samuel McCullock, front-rower Felix Faatili and Australian Schoolboys duo Thomas Dellow and Alex Challenor.
"I wish Royce nothing but success over there. We miss him over here and with his personality, you can tell when he's not here," Hamlin-Uele added.
"We're safe from shadowboxing and getting shin kicked in the head at training so that's one thing I don't miss.
"But Royce was a big part of our team and I'm sure he'll do great things over there at the Tigers.
 

bort

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Can we put this in the following threads too please, I don't think 3 posts is enough
  • Tuku Hau Tapuha
  • Jesee Colquhoun (will need to create this thread)
  • Sharks Pathways 2025 (Newtown, Flegg)
 

HaroldBishop

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‘I want him to run straight’: Shark ready to battle against former teammate​

“Royce knows what’s up.”​

Ethan Lee Chalk
Ethan Lee Chalk
WRITER | February 4, 2025 - 10:38am
318

After four seasons and 75 games with the Cronulla Sharks, Royce Hunt will line up for his third team this season, thus creating an impending showdown with his former Sharks teammates in Round 8.

Known as a notorious hardman and enforcer, no love will be lost when Hunt takes on his former team, filled with close friends and individuals with whom he used to spend all his time.
Starting his career at the Canberra Raiders, the forward was offered a lifeline by the Sharks in 2020. There, he found career-best form for the club, making five international appearances for Samoa and playing a key role in their continued appearances in the NRL Finals.
However, his time came to a premature end at the conclusion of last season and he ended up inking a three-year contract with the Wests Tigers to line up alongside Terrell May, Fonua Pole and David Klemmer.
As the hardman prepares to go against his previous team in Round 8 at Leichhardt Oval, his former teammates are patiently waiting to face off against him, particularly Braden Hamlin-Uele.
"Royce knows what's up. Royce knows what's up," Hamlin-Uele said jokingly to Zero Tackle about the impending match with his close friend and former Sharks teammate.
"I want him to run straight at me off kick-off. He's a big boy so if I get my body in the wrong position, I'll come off second best but we'll see what happens.
"We sort of had like a running battle at training. I would give him a good shot and then he'd hit me five seconds too late off the ball but he'd still claim it."
NRL Rd 3 - Raiders v Sharks
CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 19: Royce Hunt of the Sharks is tackled during the round three NRL match between Canberra Raiders and Cronulla Sharks at GIO Stadium on March 19, 2023 in Canberra, Australia. (Photo by Mark Nolan/Getty Images)
Hunt's move to the Wests Tigers came after the Sharks informed him that, following the recruitment of Addin Fonua-Blake from the New Zealand Warriors, they didn't have the funds in the salary cap to offer him a contract extension.
Although he was a regular member of the first-grade team, the club decided to focus on retaining and growing its younger talent, such as Tuku Hau Tapuha and Jesee Colquhoun.
These players are considerably younger than him and at this point in their careers, are likely to have a longer future.
Other young forwards slowly progressing through the ranks include Jersey Flegg Cup skipper Samuel McCullock, front-rower Felix Faatili and Australian Schoolboys duo Thomas Dellow and Alex Challenor.
"I wish Royce nothing but success over there. We miss him over here and with his personality, you can tell when he's not here," Hamlin-Uele added.
"We're safe from shadowboxing and getting shin kicked in the head at training so that's one thing I don't miss.
"But Royce was a big part of our team and I'm sure he'll do great things over there at the Tigers.
Thanks for the big photo of Ethan mate
 

Gumby

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Tonu Harris’s medical retirement has been cleared by the nrl freeing up a decent chunk of salary cap space. Expecting them to go hard for a big name forward before June 30.
 

Gumby

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Knights are set to make a huge play at trying to sign Dylan Brown. He’s asking for 6 mil across 5 years which is 1.2 a year 😂

That club will never learn haha hope they pull it off so we can watch them struggle again for another 5 years.
 

Wizard

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Knights are set to make a huge play at trying to sign Dylan Brown. He’s asking for 6 mil across 5 years which is 1.2 a year 😂

That club will never learn haha hope they pull it off so we can watch them struggle again for another 5 years.
They’ve already got one Kalyn Ponga now they want another one who’s even more flakier 😵💫
 

bort

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Knights are set to make a huge play at trying to sign Dylan Brown. He’s asking for 6 mil across 5 years which is 1.2 a year 😂

That club will never learn haha hope they pull it off so we can watch them struggle again for another 5 years.
Why don't they know how to do halves currently?
Then they can run 6 Brown 7 Gamble, which admittedly does seem like an improvement on the 6 Sharpe 7 Gamble they are apparently currently considering.

Surely between Crossland, Cogger, Hastings, Pryce and Gamble they have a competent halves pairing. We've seen probably all of those guys play solid or better in the halves at some stage but they just keep chopping and changing and Brown maybe locking one spot in only half fixes that.

You'd have to be in the system to know for sure but I can't see how they can't make a functioning halves pairing out of that group.
 

Gumby

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Dolphins are set to sign Morgan Knowles (super league) for 2026. Anywhere know much about him? Is he any good?
 

Capital_Shark

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Adam O’Brien gotta be short favourite for first coach to get the boot in 2025. Hopefully they do sign Dylan Brown on stupid money and that buys AOB a few more years to stink up the joint.
 
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