Wade Graham’s NRL future: Will the Cronulla Sharks captain re-sign for 2023?

Cronulla Sharks captain Wade Graham’s future is in the stars until 2023 – and it looks like he has three options.

The 31-year-old Premiership winner has been an incredible servant of the club and the game as a whole, having made over 270 NRL appearances, six Origins and eight Tests since making his debut in 2008.

Once considered the best striker in the competition, Graham has struggled with injuries and concussions in recent years but has been in solid form since his Round 8 return.

However, Graham’s numbers no longer compare to the elite second rowers in the competition and with Cronulla investing heavily in the likes of Teig Wilton and Britain’s Nikora, they may be looking in a different direction.

That being said, Graham is still a respected figure and quality leader – and while he’s unsigned at this point, he still has ambitions to continue playing in 2023.

“I definitely want to keep playing,” Graham said ahead of round 22.

“I’ve had some talks with the club and I’m comfortable with our current position.

“It’s not high on my priority list at the moment. We have some important games coming up and a good opportunity ahead of us, so that’s my priority.

“I feel good at a year. You never know – if I get to that stage next year and feel good we’ll see how it goes, but I’m definitely only thinking about one year at the moment.”

Here’s a look at Wade Graham’s three options for 2023.

One-year contract with Cronulla

Given Graham’s recent comments, that seems like the most likely option for now, but there’s no guarantee Cronulla will extend his skipper.

With the aforementioned Nikora and Wilton at the helm, the resurgent Sharks have a duo that will last for many years to come.

But while they also have Siosifa Talakai, who is capable of playing in the second row, their stocks are thin in the second row behind these three men, and Talakai has shown how dominant he can be in the middle.

Graham would be a good player to have at the club for another year as they continue to transition into life and bleed a lot of young guns under Craig Fitzgibbon.

But in terms of money and contract length, it would be foolish of Cronulla to offer him anything more than a 12-month extension for $250,000 or $300,000.

However, Graham and Cronulla could potentially benefit from the NRL’s Long Serving Player Allowance, which could help both parties reach an agreement.

Switch to the Catalans

With his apparent desire to keep playing, Graham could also link up with some former NRL stars in the Super League for the Catalans.

With players like Mitchell Pearce, Dylan Napa, Dean Whare and Sam Kasiano plying their trade in the south of France, Graham would have many familiar faces alongside him if he were to join the Dragons.

Perhaps not a known fact, but Graham’s wife Karianne is French Canadian and the second rower has said in the past they could move to this side of the world when their careers are over.

“I’ve had initial talks with Catalans,” said Graham News Corp earlier this year.

“They know I’m out of contract and called me about a month ago. I have told them that this is in my future plans. It’s not much more advanced, but it’s still on the horizon.

“I manage myself so it would be good to go through the process and speak to them. At that point, they’ve expressed an interest, and I’ve said that going there at some point in my career is certainly one of my goals.”

There would likely be a greater financial incentive for Graham moving to the Super League than signing a cheap deal with the Sharks.

Retire and take up a coaching role with the Sharks

If Graham wanted to stay at the Shire but decided he didn’t want to continue playing, the Sharks would no doubt be interested in keeping him in another capacity.

With so much experience at club and federation level, as well as a true understanding of the Sharks DNA having won a title with them in 2016, he would be the ideal person to deal with young players coming through.

Graham has also expressed a keen interest in coaching following the recent signing of Benji Marshall with the Wests Tigers.

“I am now doing my accreditation with Benji Marshall. He already has a job. I could get him to get me together and try to be one of his assistants over the years,” he said at a recent media conference.

“That’s what I know, so I’m just going to stick with it and hopefully be able to give something back to the game after all the years of service.

“It’s certainly an option. I’m enjoying that part of the game.

Graham would be the perfect mentor for the likes of Wilton, Kade Dykes and Jesse Colquhon, all of whom are still in the early stages of their NRL careers.