Cronulla Sharks winger Sione Katoa injured, will miss five months of action

Cronulla’s tryscoring machine Sione Katoa was a notable absence as the club left for Vegas with the flying winger set to be sidelined for a significant chunk of the 2025 season.

The Sharks have suffered a huge injury blow ahead of their spectacular season-launch in Las Vegas with tryscoring winger Sione Katoa ruled out for up to five months.

One of the most elusive wingers in the NRL, Katoa has undergone a shoulder reconstruction.

It has forced Katoa’s withdrawal from the Sharks travelling squad to the US, which departed Sydney on Thursday.

Katoa, who scored 18-tries last season and averaged 128 run-meres for the Sharks, suffered the injury during Cronulla’s first trial match of the year against the Warriors a fortnight ago.

The club’s medical staff had researched the prospect of trying to rehabilitate the injury in an attempt to have the Tongan international miss less football.

But the club has opted for surgery with the hope that Katoa can return halfway through the season.

Sione Katoa of the Sharks is set for a big stint on the sidelines. Picture: Getty Images

Katoa’s omission from the Sharks opening round clash against the Panthers has prompted coach Craig Fitzgibbon to elevate rookie winger Sam Stonestreet and Maori All Stars centre Mawene Hiroti into the Sharks squad bound for the US.

Cronulla are the only club that have chosen against heading to Las Vegas for their entire build-up to round one.

The Sharks will instead spend four-days in Los Angeles with a training camp to be held at the prestigious University of Southern California (USC).

In Sydney before flying to LA on Thursday, Sharks co-captain Cam McInnes spoke about the fine line for his teammates between soaking up the sights and sounds of the US and preparing for a huge opening round clash with the Panthers.

Sam Stonestreet is the man most likely to replace Katoa. Picture: Getty Images

“It’s not solely my job (to remind the team about the job ahead), it’s everybody’s,’’ McInnes said.

“But we also want to enjoy the experience. You can put your head in the sand and keep everyone locked in their hotel rooms that just defeats the purpose of going.

“You need to get that balance right. We want to immerse ourselves in it, but also understand that the only reason we get to have that opportunity is to play the game and when we play the game, we play to win.

“With any group of young men there’s always conversations, but what I would say is, with the evolution of this team, the less of those conversations need to be had because the way we trained all pre-season and I thought our two trial matches, while far from perfect, showed the application from the entire squad to want to try to do something.

“The boys are excited to play a game on a massive stage.

“As a kid we all want to play in the NRL and to have the opportunity to go and play in Las Vegas, we’re pretty lucky.’’

Originally published as Cronulla Sharks winger Sione Katoa injured, will miss five months of action