Craig Fitzgibbon concedes it will be difficult for Cronulla to keep all of their top players as the Sharks face the toughest task of any NRL side to keep their squad together beyond 2026.
The coach says "a large portion" of Cronulla's league-high 17 off-contract players have indicated they want to stay put following a breakthrough 2025 season for the Sharks that featured two finals wins.
Eight players who featured in the preliminary-final loss to Melbourne are off contract, as well as injured captain Cam McInnes and fringe first-graders Sam Stonestreet and Tuku Hau Tapuha.
The Sharks had the most players hitting the open market of any club last November, though they managed to secure all of their regular first-graders to new deals bar Daniel Atkinson.
But the looming entry of the cashed-up Perth Bears, still in the early stages of assembling their inaugural roster, appears an added obstacle for the Sharks this time around.
"It will be if they want to go," Fitzgibbon said.
"It tends to be straightforward, we've been able to keep them (in the past) because the players want to stick together. But there does come a point where you can't keep everyone. That's the reality of professional sport.
"But a large portion of them have indicated that they're hungry to stay. We'll have a look at what it looks like and at the end of the day, performance will determine what we do in the market."
The Sharks have already opened up discussions with some of their off-contract stable, first turning their attention to players coming into their prime rather than stalwarts.
Jesse Colquhoun is thought to be a top priority following a breakout season, while the Sharks are also eager to retain Billy Burns after he emerged as a surprise contributor to their finals run.
A second anterior cruciate ligament injury to McInnes won't discourage Fitzgibbon from finding room for the famously physical captain beyond 2026.
"You'd probably think there's some reservations based on the way he plays and the size and his stature, but he's such a full-time professional," he said.
McInnes has already returned to the club to continue his rehabilitation before other senior players arrive back for pre-season and is expected back on the field in the first half of the year.
"He's in there as much as the coaching staff at the moment and working hard," Fitzgibbon said.
Stand-in captain Blayke Brailey was hopeful of keeping the bulk of the the off-contract contingent, which includes Jesse Ramien, Toby Rudolf, Braden Hamlin-Uele, Sifa Talakai and Sione Katoa.
"I feel like if you ask those (off-contract) players they would want to stay. It's a great place to live and we're building something really special," he said.
"It's hard when players leave but unfortunately that's the business sometimes."
