Sharks renew calls for funding with NRLW team sidelined
Scott Bailey |
Cronulla boss Dino Mezzatesta has pleaded for government funding for Shark Park, upset a lack of facilities means the club’s NRLW team won’t play on NRL match days in 2026.
The Sharks kick off next year’s NRLW season when they host Newcastle on July 2, as one of three prime-time Thursday night fixtures in the competition’s draw.
The NRLW Magic Round will this year head to Wagga Wagga on August 1 and 2, while there will again be a three-week finals series for the 12-team competition.
Almost half of the 66 regular-season games will form part of double-headers with men’s matches, with players pushing for that as the preferred system last year.
Every club with the exception of the Sharks will host at least one double-header, with the vast majority holding two and St George Illawarra as many as four.
Cronulla did host double-headers last season but the fact they only have two changerooms has prompted a move away from men and women sharing the ground in 2026.
“It’s another white flag to say we need help here,” Mezzatesta told AAP.
“It pains us that we can’t host them, because it’s all about promoting the game and getting the most for the fans and the players.
“We are the biggest advocates of the women’s game, but until we get funding for our facilities it’s unfair to put the women in that predicament.
“So yet again it’s another call out for very much needed (funding). We need governments to start listening to us and give us the assistance to get the facilities right.”
Cronulla’s inability to host men’s and women’s double-headers is viewed as a real blow to the Sharks’ women’s team, given a competition-wide player push to run out in front of bigger crowds at double-headers.
The NRLW issue comes with the Sharks also expected to lose home-ground advantage in next year’s men’s finals, if the league goes away from suburban grounds as expected.
Shark Park currently only holds around 14,000 fans amid works on Cronulla’s Leagues Club, and even once that is complete the capacity will only sit at approximately 18,000.
Elsewhere, Brisbane will host the Sydney Roosters in round seven at Suncorp Stadium, in what will be the most-anticipated match of the season.
The clash between last year’s two grand finalists will come before the Broncos host the Warriors in the NRL that same night.
Jillaroos halfback Jesse Southwell will face her old club Newcastle in round four, when the Broncos host Newcastle on July 26.
The NRL has also kept the number of five-day turnarounds in the women’s competition at three.
AAP
