Recent Report: Off-contract Cronulla Sharks winger Ronaldo Mulitalo has reportedly been shopped by…
Sharks winger shopped to surprise NRL rival
He is off-contract at the end of 2025.
Off-contract Cronulla Sharks winger Ronaldo Mulitalo has reportedly been shopped by his management to the Brisbane Broncos in the latest surprise turn of events on the NRL’s free agency market.
Mulitalo is off-contract at the Sharks at the end of the 2025 NRL season and has been able to negotiate with rival clubs since November 1.
It has been widely believed he would re-sign with the Sharks where he is a fan and coach favourite, but it’s hard to ignore the rapid rise of Sam Stonestreet.
The towering winger simply must play first-grade this year, and one would suspect it will have a bearing on whether he elects to re-sign with the black, white and blue beyond the end of his current deal, in much the same way Kayal Iro made a call on his future during the 2024 campaign.
The only way into first-grade for Stonestreet through is by replacing either Mulitalo or Sione Katoa, who have held Cronulla’s wing positions under lock and key for a number of seasons now.
The Sharks salary cap is also a point of contention. They have recently re-signed Teig Wilton, Briton Nikora and Braydon Trindall to go with a number of other big-money deals at the club, led by the long-term contract for Nicho Hynes, and new off-season addition Addin Fonua-Blake.
That could leave Mulitalo being forced to explore his options elsewhere, and News Corp are reporting Brisbane could be a potential new home for the winger who almost made his State of Origin debut in 2021, and has since played for New Zealand.
The winger might have scored 56 tries in his last three seasons, but there is little to no guarantee that is enough to keep him in the starting side, particularly given some of his on-field errors in a Sharks team that will see themselves as a genuine premiership contender in 2025.
Whether Brisbane – where Mulitalo grew up after moving from New Zealand – is a realistic option remains to be seen, but the club are currently in talks with Kotoni Staggs and Selwyn Cobbo.
While Staggs is expected to re-sign, the same can’t be said of Cobbo, who could attract up to a million dollars per year on the open market.
Should Cobbo head elsewhere, then his wing position – a spot he returns to in 2025 after playing at centre in the final portion of Kevin Walters’ coaching tenure at Brisbane – could well be taken by the likes of Mulitalo.
All expectations are that Mulitalo will re-sign with the Sharks, and that the Broncos are yet to express formal interest in Mulitalo, but the fact he is being shopped makes the situation regarding his next deal in the Shire an intriguing one.
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