Sharks back Kennedy as their first-pick fullback with surprise extension

The Sharks have picked their fullback for 2026, with the club re-signing incumbent number one Will Kennedy on a trimmed contract that gives him one more season to prove he belongs in a title-hungry lineup.

Kennedy played all 27 games for the Sharks this season and at one time led the Dally M count, but that early-season burst quickly spluttered out and Kennedy regressed back to the NRL mean.

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According to reports from The Daily Telegraph, the Sharks’ fullback will be paid around $350,000 for his 2026 campaign. It easily makes him one of the least paid number ones in the competition; The Sporting Base understands he could have made twice that if he had taken up one of the Super League offers he was sent, but he wanted to stay in the NRL.

“I feel really happy to stay. I’ve been here since SG Ball,” he said. “It’s been a pretty special run we’ve had, making it to finals. Making that next step is a big one. I’m very excited to do that with these boys. I know we’ve got it in us to do it.”

“I love how the club and the culture is,” he added after signing. “[Cronulla] is home to me.”

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Unless Kennedy takes his game to another level in 2026, however, it may be the last time he starts at number one for the Sharks. Head coach Craig Fitzgibbon rates him quite highly, but Cronulla also has highly rated young gun Liam Ison coming through, and once he’s ready to start challenging for a top spot Kennedy may quickly find himself dropped.

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He’ll be spared that ignominy for the time being, though, with Ison right now recovering from a serious knee injury. It’s unlikely he’ll be ready to start early preseason with the rest of the squad; likely why Kennedy got a one-year extension.