After another season which saw them make the finals but crash out without a win, the Sharks are desperate to finally impose themselves on the competition in 2024.
A tough trip across the Tasman to face the Warriors kicks things off for Cronulla but from there, the Sharks have a nice pattern of home and away games with an early chance to rest and recover thanks to a Round 5 bye.
Teams they play twice
Cronulla meet the three bottom-ranked teams from last year – Wests Tigers, Bulldogs and Dragons – on two occasions throughout 2024, along with the Warriors, Raiders, Rabbitohs, Cowboys and Titans.
Teams they play once
On paper, the Sharks have the most favourable draw in the competition, facing the Panthers, Broncos and Storm on only one occasion each this season. They tackle the Roosters at Magic Round, the Eels and Sea Eagles away, and they get the Knights and Dolphins on home soil at Cronulla.
Day-by-day breakdown
- Thursday: 2 games (1 home, 1 away)
- Friday: 6 games (3 home, 3 away)
- Saturday: 9 games (4 home, 5 away)
- Sunday: 7 games (4 home, 3 away)
Turnaround time
- 5 days: 2 games
- 6 days: 3 games
- 7+ days: 18 games
The Sharks have two five-day turnarounds in 2024 – playing the Eels at CommBank in Round 12 just five days after their lone clash against the defending premier Panthers. A few weeks later, they'll also face off against the Dolphins five days after their solitary clash against last year's other grand finalist in the Broncos. The trade-off for two five-day turnarounds is 18 games with a 7+ day turnaround, the second most of any team in the competition.
Opening month
- Round 1: v Warriors (A)
- Round 2: v Bulldogs (H)
- Round 3: v Wests Tigers (A)
- Round 4: v Raiders (H)
Home games against the Bulldogs and Raiders at PointsBet Stadium are split up by a trip over to Auckland for their season-opener against the Warriors and a game against Wests Tigers in at Leichhardt. All of those games will come with the benefit of a 7+ day turnaround before their bye in Round 5.
Magic Round
After having to come up against a Queensland side (the Dolphins) last year and the parochial support that typically accompanies them in Magic Round, the Sharks play the Roosters this time around in the middle game on Saturday.
State of Origin watch
Cronulla have a bye in Round 16 when any Origin reps will be out of contention, with clashes against the Eels (Round 13) and Knights (Round 19) in the other major Origin-affected rounds. They'll face a Brisbane side likely to supply plenty of Origin talent on the Friday after Origin I, while the Bulldogs await on the Friday after Origin II. The Sharks have a bye out of the third and final interstate game.
Can't miss game
Round 9 v Dragons, Sunday at PointsBet Stadium (H)
A mouth-watering clash awaits in Round 9 as the Sharks come up against their local rivals and face Shane Flanagan – the man who coached them to a premiership in 2016 – for the first time in his new role at the Red V. Last year Cronulla won both contests against St George Illawarra comfortably, but the Dragons will be keen to make a statement against their neighbours in Round 9.
