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 lock up the majority of the Cronulla backline until at least the end of the 2025 NRL season.

Though not every deal has been publicly unveiled by the Sharks yet, the club has already tied up Sione Katoa, Jesse Ramien, Ronaldo Mulitalo, and Siosifa Talakai through the next few seasons. Kennedy will join Mulitalo on deals running until 2025 while Katoa (as yet unannounced), Ramien, and Talakai are all locked up a year longer.

Cronulla moved to add Kennedy’s signature to that pile to keep consistency.

The 25-year-old often finds himself forgotten among the hard runners and try scorers of the Sharks backline, though he did draw all the attention earlier this season with a career-first NRL hat-trick against the Parramatta Eels in a tight 30-26 victory.

Kennedy was approached by the Tigers recently to sound out if he’d be interested in joining Tim Sheens’ project as the Wests fullback but The Sporting Base understands 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 juniors system.

“I want to stay at the club, I love the Sharks,” Kennedy said. “I’ve been here since SG Ball so I would love to stay. What Fitzy [Craig Fitzgibbon] is doing and what he’s brought to the club is special.”

The Sporting Base has heard the long-term succession plan is to have Kade Dykes inherit the number one jumper from Kennedy but that progress was delayed after the 21-year-old suffered an ACL tear in the preseason just gone.

Fitzgibbon has liked what he’s seen from Dykes and believes he can eventually become a rusted-on NRL fullback.

That said, the Sharks boss is also very happy with Kennedy and what he brings to one of the deadliest backlines in rugby league. In the middle of negotiations, after Kennedy had shone against Parramatta with his hat trick, Fitzgibbon told the media: “He’s important to us, and that’s all I’ll say there.”

With the back five locked in, the Sharks can turn their attention to the season. Things have been a little hit or miss for Fitzgibbon and his Cronulla squad so far in 2023. They sit in sixth after four games with two wins in their pocket, including that close Eels triumph. The Shire team lost to the South Sydney Rabbitohs 27-18 in week one and fell to the Raiders 24-20 two rounds ago.

Last weekend, Hynes returned and blew away Cronulla’s local rivals the St George Illawarra Dragons in a 40-8 win. The Sharks scored five unanswered tries in the second half of that round 4 victory.

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