Sharks risk feeling salary-cap bite in NRL silly season

Craig Fitzgibbon is set for the toughest task to keep his squad together beyond 2025 as Cronulla risk being bitten by the salary cap come November 1.

Of the 189 players coming into the final year of their contracts and free to negotiate with rivals from Friday, 17 Sharks are up for grabs.

Included on that list are nine members of the club's preliminary-final team, with crucial calls to be made in the halves, edges and middle.

Fitzgibbon has largely traded off keeping the same group together since taking over at the Sharks in 2022 with a core of Cronulla juniors who won the NSW Cup at Newtown.

But that core could feel a squeeze in the next 12 months.

Five-eighth Braydon Trindall headlines the list of talent and can command a big pay-rise after a breakout first full season as a first-choice playmaker.

Daniel Atkinson is waiting in the wings after proving himself as a bonafide NRL playmaker during Trindall and Nicho Hynes's absence this year, but he too is without a deal past 2025.

Decisions must also be made in the back row where Briton Nikora and Teig Wilton are both off contract alongside captain Cameron McInnes.

And while the Sharks have big money tied up in its middle forward rotation with Addin Fonua-Blake arriving on a seven-figure salary, Tom Hazleton and Oregon Kaufusi are both off contract.

A challenge could also await with Ronaldo Mulitalo's eagerness to test the open market, while Will Kennedy joins James Tedesco and Ryan Papenhuyzen as the elite fullbacks off contract.

Elsewhere, Penrith are set for a rare reprieve from rivals' raids as only one premiership player comes out of contract at the end of 2025: Brad Schneider, who did not make it on the field in the 2024 decider.

The Panthers have become used to losing world-class talent amid their sustained dominance but utility Daine Laurie is the most notable player hitting the open market, aside from Schneider.

After Tedesco, million-dollar man Daly Cherry-Evans is the highest-paid player able to negotiate.

The Queensland State of Origin captain turns 36 in February and will likely weigh up a decision between retirement and staying at Manly.

But there remains a possibility other clubs could come knocking with the No.7 a free agent for the first time since 2015.

Fellow veterans Tohu Harris, Felise Kaufusi and Jack de Belin are among those in similar situations; all will be well into their 30s when the 2026 season begins.

Parramatta, South Sydney, Brisbane and the Dolphins welcome in new coaches to assist with big roster decisions and it's the Eels with the biggest cash-pot at their disposal.

Papenhuyzen looms on Jason Ryles' radar after the club released captain Clint Gutherson.

St George Illawarra's decision to cut Ben Hunt loose has also left the Dragons with plenty of cash at their disposal.