Brailey To Skipper Cronulla Into Round One, AFB Says Sharks Primed For '26 Season

Blayke Brailey will lead from the front when he runs out as Captain of the Cronulla Sharks this weekend to kick start a 2026 season full of promise in the Shire.

The Sharks hooker was announced as Co-Captain earlier this year alongside Cameron McInnes who is sidelined for the start of the season due to an ACL injury at the back end of last season.

Brailey, who has played his entire first grade career for the Sharks and grew up watching Paul Gallen lead the side out from Shark Park's iconic family hill said captaincy is a feat his younger self could never have imagined.

"I just wanted to play one game for the Sharks," he told media on Tuesday.

"As I progress coming now to captain, it’s gone really quickly, but yeah the five-or-six year old on that hill definitely wouldn't expect me to be here leading the side round one. It's a real proud moment for myself, and I know my family are really proud too." 

Asked on his captaincy style, Brailey said he tries to stay calm.

"I think my communication, the way I am around the group, I like to be calm and clear," he said.

"I feel like if I can be a level head in the middle, and once I am making 40-50 tackles it can kind of spread to the team. For me to be able to share my passion for the club and for the jersey has probably been a main factor for me becoming more of a leader."

Addin Fonua-Blake has thrown his support behind Brailey's leadership.

"He looks like he is born for it," Fonua-Blake told media on Monday.

"He doesn’t really have to change too much, he’s found a bit more of a voice which is good, but he does everything with his actions, and there’s no harder working bloke in the team than Blayke."

Fonua-Blake is preparing for his second season in the black, white and blue, declaring the Sharks are 'really connected' ahead of the 2026 season.

"This whole pre-season we've worked really hard," he said.

"I feel like a few times in the middle of the year last year we went away from our style of footy and it was no secret that we weren’t playing our best and it’s because we weren’t sticking to what we know what works. I feel like we fixed that up towards the back end and the performances were a lot better and the results were going our way.

"Everyone's sort of matured a lot over the last 12 months. A number of boys in the group have played together for five, six years in a row. So definitely that helps, everyone understanding what each other's strengths are on the field."

The Sharks first round clash against the Titans will feature two of the games premier front rowers in AFB and Tino Fa'asuamaleaui. Fonua-Blake said he is looking forward to the battle.

"We're definitely going to have our hands full in the middle," he said, "but these are the games you want to play in. You want to put yourself up against the best.

"I'm looking forward to the challenge, I'm sure he is. He's looking the goods, so we'll see how we go come this weekend."

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