Sharks, Brailey meet in the middle with 4-year extension

Blayke Brailey is on the verge of signing a four-year extension with the Cronulla Sharks, after the two parties thrashed out the minor details and split the difference on their seasonal demands.

The Sharks have been eager to re-sign their stalwart hooker for some time, and had originally tabled their local junior three more years through to 2029. Little progress had happened from there for some time.

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With the wheels all but stopped, some media started reporting that Brailey was planning to leave the club at the end of 2026 when his current deal finishes. Some of that may have been his agent negotiating for more years, though, and if it was, it’s worked very well: Brailey wanted a deal through 2031 and got one of the two extra years in a four-year agreement.

The Sporting Base can report Brailey never really wanted to leave the Sharks beyond his 2026 contract. He did want to up his coin a little – he’s been earning $550,000 a year on this current deal – and wanted more security with those added years, but his plans never went anywhere but Cronulla.

He even hit the media to say he was “super excited” to get something signed as soon as possible just last week.

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“It’s no secret how I feel about this place. And I know the club knows how I feel about the future here and where I want to be,” he declared, adding that a conversation with his father, Glenn, who works in the club’s development and pathways, also helped put his mind at ease.

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“He knows how the game works and behind-the-scenes work, and he just explained it all to me,” Brailey said of his dad’s message that calmed him down about the wheeling and dealing. “He’s just up front and very honest, which I appreciate, and I love to hear His main message was just keep playing how you’re playing, and all that stuff will take care of itself.”

The 26-year-old hooker has been in rich form recently, just cracking 1,000 tackles for the current campaign.

Brailey captained the side for the first time last week, too, in a 40–16 win over the Knights.