How camp Cronulla helped revitalise the Sharks

Perth Now

23-05-2025

Cronulla's 2025 resurgence has been built on a diet of time away, dress-up table-tennis tournaments, coffee groups and the odd game of euchre.
And while players acknowledge six weeks on the road could have been a dagger for some sides, the Sharks say it has been the making of them.
By the time Cronulla players run out on the field against the Sydney Roosters on Saturday, they will have spent almost 30 nights out of their own bed since leaving for Las Vegas in mid February.
Players endured six straight games on the road between round five and 10, while going from 10th to fifth on ladder in that time.
And headed into the State of Origin period, the Sharks now look like one of the most likely teams to strike.
"It could definitely derail some sides," hooker Blayke Brailey said.
"But we looked at it as a good opportunity to be closer. This is as close as we've ever been.
"Of course it helps if you win them, but spending time with 20 of your closest mates, it's not a bad trip too."
For Cronulla's staff, the tonic has been simple, telling players to embrace the time on the road.
A long-running table tennis tournament this week wrapped up, with Jesse Colquhoun accounting for Nicho Hynes in the final with dress-up mandatory.
Card games have also become commonplace, with Chinese poker, euchre and 500 the preferred games.
Siosifa Talakai and Ronaldo Mulitalo are considered the group's card sharks according to Brailey, while he rated coach Craig Fitzgibbon as "worst by far" at table tennis.
"Toby Rudolf is terrible at cards too," Brailey said.
"But we know when you're away you may as well make it matter. Because you are away from your family, your partner or your kids.
"So you may as well take something from it so we really leaned into that and have really enjoyed the away trips."
Cronulla's away run began with 13 nights away in Las Vegas to start the season, before an immediate trip to Townsville on returning home.
The club have also taken home games to Perth and Brisbane and had away trips to Canberra and Newcastle before setting up camp in Gosford for Saturday night's clash with the Roosters.
By year's end, the Sharks will have completed the most travel of any Sydney team, clocking up 32,711km.
"In any circumstances given in life you can look at it whichever way you want," captain Cameron McInnes said.
"Some people could look at it like you know 'we haven't been at home we have to travel this that and whatever'.
"We've really embraced it and enjoyed it.
"We've spent a lot of time together, time that you don't spend when you're at home because you go to training and then we all have our lives going on.
"Teams like Melbourne, you got your Brisbane teams, the Warriors, they're travelling every second week and no one talks about their travel."