By Dan Walsh
Cronulla have re-signed rising halfback Braydon Trindall on a three-year deal worth more than $2.5 million.
Trindall’s retention is a significant roster move for the Sharks given his emergence as Craig Fitzgibbon’s on-field general in the second half of 2024, with the 25-year-old taking over chief play-making and kicking duties from Nicho Hynes during the finals.
The deal averages out at around $650,000 a season and keeps him on Cronulla’s books until the end of 2028.
Trindall’s rapid rise had him pegged as one of the most in-demand halves in a player market short on them once rival clubs were able to formally table offers from November 1.
Cronulla have several leading players entering the final year of their contract, though negotiations around a new multi-year deal for captain Cameron McInnes are well-advanced. Briton Nikora, Ronaldo Mulitalo, William Kennedy, Daniel Atkinson, Kade Dykes, Samuel Stonestreet and Teig Wilton are other notable Sharks players now on the open market.
Atkinson is among the play-making options discussed internally by St George Illawarra, along with Wests Tigers utility Adam Doueihi, as the joint venture looks to sign a replacement for Ben Hunt.
Braydon Trindall was one of the NRL’s most improved players this season.Credit: Getty Images
The Brisbane Broncos and fellow south-east Queensland club the Dolphins have already registered interest in Hunt following the veteran halfback’s release on Wednesday.
The Dolphins have the salary cap room to accommodate Hunt immediately. How far the Broncos’ interest progresses is dependent on Ezra Mam’s clouded future as he awaits the results of a police inquiry into a car accident he was involved in last month.
While Clint Gutherson is poised to join the Dragons after being released by Parramatta, finding a No.7 is now the club’s immediate priority above any other prospective signing like sacked Bulldog Josh Addo-Carr or Roosters prop Terrell May.
Trindall said the faith shown in him by Cronulla in April, when he feared he could be sacked after he was caught by police driving to training under the influence of alcohol and with an illicit substance in his system, was pivotal in his re-signing.
“I didn’t want to go anywhere else,” Trindall said.
“The club has put a lot of trust in me over the years, so I’m just looking forward to repaying them and repaying the fans.
“I just love this place; I love the club, I love the people here, I just love the whole organisation.
“I came here when I was 18, did a lot of growing and still have a lot of growing to do. I’m just looking forward to it and I couldn’t see myself anywhere else.”
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