Two more years for Kennedy as Sharks lock down backline
Star fullback Will Kennedy is expected to sign a two-year extension with the Sharks in the next few weeks that will suspend most of the Cronulla backline until at least the end of the 2025 NRL season.
While not every deal has been publicly announced by the Sharks, the club have already signed Sione Katoa, Jesse Ramien, Ronaldo Mulitalo and Siosifa Talakai for the next few seasons. Kennedy will join Mulitalo on contracts that run through 2025, while Katoa (not yet announced), Ramien, and Talakai will all be jailed an extra year.
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Cronulla moved to add Kennedy’s signature to that stack for consistency.
The 25-year-old is often forgotten by the hard runners and scorers of the Sharks backline, although he grabbed all the attention earlier this season with his first NRL hat-trick of his career against the Parramatta Eels in a close 30 hole. 26 win.
Kennedy was recently approached by the Tigers to find out if he would be interested in joining Tim Sheen’s project as the Wests’ full-back, however The sporty basis understands that the Bathurst Junior never really looked anywhere else than the Shire. He has played for the club’s top squad since 2019 and came through the junior system.
“I want to stay at the club, I love the Sharks,” Kennedy said. “I’ve been here since SG Ball and would love to stay. What Fitzy [Craig Fitzgibbon] does and what he has brought to the club is special.”
The sporty basis has heard that the long-term succession plan is for Kade Dykes to inherit number one jumper from Kennedy, but that progress was delayed after the 21-year-old suffered a cruciate ligament rupture just last preseason.
Fitzgibbon has liked what he’s seen of Dykes and believes he can eventually become a rusty NRL defender.
Still, the Sharks boss is also very happy with Kennedy and what he’s contributing to one of rugby league’s deadliest backlines. In the midst of negotiations, after Kennedy shone with his hat-trick against Parramatta, Fitzgibbon told the media, “He’s important to us and that’s all I’m going to say there.”
With the back five, the Sharks can focus on the season. For Fitzgibbon and his Cronulla squad so far in 2023, it’s been a minor hit or miss. They lie sixth after four games with two wins under their belt, including the narrow Eels triumph. The Shire team lost to the South Sydney Rabbitohs 27-18 in the first week and fell to the Raiders 24-20 two rounds ago.
Hynes returned last weekend and beat Cronulla’s local rivals, the St. George Illawarra Dragons, with a 40-8 win off the field. The Sharks scored five unanswered tries in the second half of that Round 4 win.
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