Welcome to the CEO Update for August ahead of what will be an exciting period for the club, with our NRL team just one round away from competing in the finals series and our NRLW women on track to join them in the weeks to follow.
In this update we will continue to communicate highlights from all areas of the business after another positive month, while pre-empting some of what to look forward to during the weeks ahead.
Firstly, let me acknowledge and thank our Great White Sharks who turned out in great numbers at our game against the Warriors last weekend. Those to have paved the way for the current generation, we had almost 150 'old boys' in attendance, former players, coaches and officials, dating as far back as our 1967 team, while the recently retired including Wade Graham also joined in the celebrations and on the walk around PointsBet Stadium on Saturday. Special mention also to our 1994 Reserve Grade and under 21 teams who celebrated the 30-year anniversary of their premiership wins. Thanks again to our Great White Sharks for the contribution you have made to our club.
Great Whites honoured in Old Boys Round celebrations
In relation to the NRL team, four consecutive wins before the heartbreaking last-minute loss against the Warriors has them well positioned to finish inside the top four with just the Sea Eagles left to play before the NRL finals. While 4 Pines Park at Brookvale is already a sell-out, please get on board and support the boys in the big games to come.
While there will be more detail in Darren Mooney's football report, I also take this opportunity to acknowledge Cam McInnes on achieving the 200 NRL game milestone. His commitment and team leadership is one of the major reasons for our success to date this year, and to Dale Finucane, although his career was cut short earlier in the season, we were able to send him off in fitting fashion last Saturday night. Congratulations to Cam and Dale and on behalf of everyone at the Club, from teammates, to staff, members and fans, thanks for your outstanding contributions to the Cronulla Sharks.
As for our NRLW team, another win on Saturday, against the Titans on the Gold Coast, a sixth win from six matches to start the season, has everybody excited about what might lay ahead. The girls have two home games against the Roosters and Tigers, as well as another road trip to Queensland to play the Broncos over the next three weeks and we hope we can also count on your support as they make a run at the NRLW title.
Away from the field and our focus remains on 2024, while planning for 2025 has begun in a number of areas. James Peters and the membership team are preparing various member options and packages for next year, while Kylie Lucas and the commercial department are hard at work delivering on our sponsor commitments over the final weeks of the season before turning their attention to 2025.
In relation to merchandise, the new Sharks Shop in the Woolooware Bay Town Centre has been embraced by Members and fans, and we thank you for that, however there is plenty of stock still available. Be sure to show your colours when supporting the men's and women's teams over the final weeks of their respective seasons.
Our Sharks Have Heart community team have been and will continue to be active in their support of community programs and initiatives, with Sharks at Kareela as always ready to offer a friendly welcome to all members and guests who visit.
Please take the time to read through this monthly update and thanks again for your continued support. We hope to see you at our remaining NRL and NRLW games this season wherever it might be that our men and women are representing our great club in the weeks to come.
Sharks CEO
Dino Mezzatesta
I'm excited to share some fantastic updates and opportunities that you won't want to miss at Sharks at Kareela. We're kicking off one of our biggest promotions ever— Win a Trip to Vegas with the Sharks in 2025! Imagine yourself in the heart of Las Vegas, staying on the iconic Strip, with Diamond tickets to watch the Sharks take on the Panthers at Allegiant Stadium. This incredible prize also includes flights for you and a friend, four nights of accommodation, access to the entire NRL fixture in Vegas, a meet & greet with Sharks players, and $2,000 in spending money. The promotion started yesterday and runs until 28 November. For all the details on how to enter, head to our website.
In addition to the Vegas promotion, we've supercharged our popular Members Badge Draw on Friday nights! Starting 6 September, the jackpot will start at a whopping $2,500 cash and increase $500 each week it's not won. All you need to do is be a member of Sharks at Kareela, and if your name is drawn on Friday night and you're in the club, you'll walk away with the cash. It's as simple as that, so make sure you're at Sharks at Kareela on Fridays for your chance to win big.
Our themed Trivia Nights have been a huge hit, and we're keeping the fun rolling on selected Wednesday nights. On 18 September, we're throwing it back to the '80s with a night of music and movies trivia. If you're a fan of the era or just love a good challenge, gather your friends, enjoy our $17 Stone Baked Pizza special, and join us for a night of free trivia starting at 6:30pm. It's sure to be a blast, so don't miss out!
August was a month full of community spirit at Sharks at Kareela. Our Members and staff participated in several initiatives, including Jeans for Genes Day, which raises awareness for genetic disorders, Jersey Day to promote organ donation, and the Sutherland to Surf, where we supported the Wanda Surf Club. We also had the pleasure of hosting a memorable 50th birthday celebration for Matty, local legend and die-hard Sharks supporter, before the Round 23 Sharks vs. Titans game. The club was buzzing with energy, and Matty's celebration was made even more special by the Sharks' incredible 44-0 victory.
Thank you for your continued support of Sharks at Kareela. We look forward to seeing you at the club soon, whether you're trying your luck in our Vegas giveaway, joining in the trivia fun, or simply enjoying the community atmosphere!
With the conclusion of our NRL regular season home games, I would like to say thank you to all our sponsors, corporate partners, Members and fans for their support this season.
We have seen corporate hospitality sold out across every game this year. If you are interested in hospitality for the 2025 season please send us an email at [email protected] to register your interest.
Our NRLW season is still in full swing with only two home games remaining. Please support our women's team by cheering them on at home. We have corporate hospitality options available within our private corporate suites, so please don't hesitate to contact us should you be interested in a corporate option as the women continue their strong run this season.
I would like to also make mention of two of our sponsors celebrating milestone birthdays. Classic Sportswear are celebrating their 90th year; as our official apparel partner, we are grateful for their support and congratulate them on an incredible achievement in business. Meanwhile, Stewart Toyota, our official car partner, are celebrating 60 years. A wonderful achievement for our valued partner – congratulations to everyone at Stewart Toyota.
There are a number of sponsorship opportunities available for the 2025 season across various assets and budgets. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you would like more information at [email protected].
Thank you, and let's enjoy yet another fantastic finals series!
It was fantastic to honour our 16,500 members during the Member Appreciation Round matches on August 18 and an exclusive Members' captain's run the day prior. Not only did our club's Jersey Flegg, NRLW and NRL sides come away with wins on the Sunday, but we were able to thank and recognise our Members with various giveaways and activations. CLICK HERE to see all the highlights.
Communications from the NRL regarding exclusive Member Final on-sales for the 2024 Telstra Premiership Grand Final, Finals series and representative matches have commenced being sent to Members. If you believe you are not receiving these, please let us know.
While 2024 remains our focus, we are looking ahead to the 2025 season and to finalising ticketed Member packages, as well as taking in Member feedback and exploring ways to improve the Member experience. If you have any suggestions, please send them through to [email protected].
Don't forget, if you're travelling to see the Sharks play away from home, or you're a Country & Interstate Member heading to Sydney for a match, you can access our exclusive Member discount code for a Quest Hotel Apartments stay.
Members are reminded that their full-season membership includes entry to all 2024 NRLW home matches. Make sure you attend to watch your ladder-leading NRLW side take on the Roosters on Sunday, September 8. Tickets are still on sale for just $15 for Adults and $10 for Juniors. Full-season Members will receive free entry simply by scanning their Member card. For more information please go to sharks.com.au/gameday.
It's been another bumper program for Sharks Members and fans, including a triple-header Members Round and Women In League Round at PointsBet Stadium.
We successfully launched the impressive new Sharks Store at Bay Central, which saw a 10-Day Opening Celebration support the achievement of record merchandise sales. We also launched an array of Hot Specials, New Releases, and a special Sharks Father's Day Gift Guide featuring a unique array of gifts and experiences.
The excitement continues to build as we come to the pointy end of the '24 footy season for our NRL and NRLW teams. The atmosphere at our final sold-out NRL game at PointsBet Stadium on Saturday night was electric, with the event overflowing with celebrations including Cam McInnes' 200th game, Dale Finucane's farewell, an Old Boys Round tribute and our special Sharks In Vegas-themed entertainment and activations.
Speaking of Vegas, our exciting WIN A TRIP TO VEGAS WITH THE SHARKS promotion officially commenced yesterday, Monday 2 September, at Sharks at Kareela. The 12-week promotion, in celebration of Sharks In Vegas 2025, gives Sharks at Kareela Members the chance to win an experience of a lifetime including two return flights to Las Vegas, four nights' accommodation, Diamond tickets to Allegiant Stadium on March 1 to Sharks v Penrith and the full NRL Vegas fixture, a Sharks player meet and greet, plus AU$2,000 spending money.
Sharks at Kareela Members gain free entry by swiping their membership card at the Rewards Kiosk each day and can increase their chances by spending at the Cove Restaurant, Bars or Café and by purchasing a ticket using their membership points. All Sharks Football Club Members receive complimentary Sharks at Kareela membership and can simply visit the Club to redeem and gain their first competition entry. We also invite all fans to sign up. The more you visit the more chances to win. For more information visit Sharks at Kareela.
Our Sharks digital and content team continue to produce outstanding content and our key digital performance metrics reinforce this. July was a month of solid growth across our digital platforms with over 7.5M people viewing our social media posts, over half a million fans liking, sharing, or commenting on our posts, growth in website traffic and the launch of our Sharks YouTube channel. Pleasingly, our email open rates are more than double the industry average and we strive to continue to deliver compelling and relevant content and news to positively connect with all our customer segments.
We look forward to seeing you at PointsBet Stadium next Sunday, September 8, as our ladder-leading Sharks NRLW squad go head-to-head with the Roosters, chasing a dream seven from seven wins with the minor premiership in sight.
It's been another active and busy period for the club and Sharks Have Heart team in the community.
We were so proud to see Emma Tonegato, our Equal Access Program Lead and NRLW star, selected in the NRLW Community Team of the Year. Her selection in the team coincides with her being nominated for the Veronica White Medal for Community Woman of the Year.
Emma has done some amazing work in the disability space and is a passionate advocate for bringing rugby league to all and breaking down the access barriers for people with disability. The public fan vote has closed but we wish Emma the best of luck. You can read more about Emma's community work HERE.
There were several reasons for the club nominating Emma for the Veronica White Medal but one of the highlights was her taking the lead on a new initiative with the Trainer Group Foundation to bring the Game Changer program to the local area. The Game Changer program is a wellbeing and physical activity program for people with a disability and was originally forged by NSW Sky Blues star Millie Elliott.
Emma helped Millie deliver a session and saw the opportunity to deliver this program in the Cronulla-Sutherland area. The local five-week program recently finished and it concluded with a big combined session with participants from all the NSW programs at the NSWRL Centre of Excellence at Homebush. We thank local club De La Salle for their support and providing their clubhouse as the venue for the workshops, as well as Sutherland Shire Council for use of the Captain Cook playing fields. Check out the action HERE.
Some former Sharks legends joined Royce Simmons on the annual 'Royce's Big Walk' to raise awareness and funds for dementia research. Paul Gallen, Luke Lewis and Alan Wilson were joined by CEO Dino Mezzatesta to complete the Kogarah-to-PointsBet Stadium leg of the walk on Monday 12th August.
Founded by Panthers champion Simmons after his Alzheimer's diagnosis in 2022, this year marked the third annual edition of Royce's Big Walk in support of Dementia Australia. The 300km journey began on August 6, with Simmons visiting eight NRL clubs across the Sydney region while meeting footy friends along the way. Click HERE to read more.
Once again, we will have you covered for school holiday activities with our popular Junior Jaws and Mini Mermaids clinics taking place at PointsBet Stadium on October 3. Click HERE to register but get in quick as spots will fill up.
To find out more about our Sharks Have Heart programs or to make a tax-deductible donation to our Sharks Have Heart Foundation go to: www.sharks.com.au/sharks-have-heart.
As we march into the finals, our new Sharks Store at Bay Central Woolooware is your one-stop shop for all the latest and greatest Sharks merchandise. With the store trading seven days a week, make sure to pay us a visit if you haven't already and embrace the finals fever.
A limited-edition finals T-shirt will be available in store and online. Wear your colours with pride and get behind the team in style as they push for a premiership.
The Sharks Store is also running a special promotion while the Sharks are alive in the NRL finals – simply spend $200 in store and you'll go into the draw to win a Sharks 'Coola Can' bar fridge.
If you can't make it to the physical Sharks Store, you can still get your hands on all the freshest club merchandise through our online store – store.sharks.com.au.
It's an extremely exciting time of year with our NRL, NRLW, Jersey Flegg and NSW Cup teams in strong positions leading into their respective finals series.
Our men's side are in fourth position with one game remaining in the regular season, while our women's squad are undefeated through six rounds and have the minor premiership in their reach with three matches before the playoffs.
Having won four of the past five games, NRL head coach Craig Fitzgibbon and his staff are determined to continue the momentum on the road against Manly on Sunday.
On behalf of the NRL football program, we sincerely thank all our Members and fans for their support at home throughout 2024. While the result didn't go our way, it was tremendous to play before another capacity crowd against the Warriors at PointsBet Stadium on Saturday.
We've proudly celebrated several individual NRL milestones since the last in-depth football update, including Liam Ison and Jayden Berrell's debuts, 100 games for Will Kennedy and Sifa Talakai and, most recently, 200 games for captain Cameron McInnes.
As well as Cam's 200th, our final NRL home game on the weekend coincided with our Great Whites celebration, where we honoured those who laid the foundations for our club, while also recognising Dale Finucane's phenomenal career after his medical retirement in April.
The club have today announced Royce Hunt's request for a release from the final year of his contract in 2025 has been granted. He remains an important member of our current squad and we wish him, his wife Shavaun and son Wolfy all the best.
NRLW head coach Tony Herman and his staff have done remarkably well to overcome adversity to sit four points clear atop the ladder. The addition of rugby sevens superstars Sharni Smale and Dominique du Toit as replacement players after season-ending injuries to Jada Taylor and Grace-Lee Weekes shows the appeal of our program.
Sharni is one of four Sharks NRLW debutantes so far this season alongside Georgia Hannaway, Manilita Takapautolo and Nakia Davis-Welsh.
Our girls still have two home games remaining – against the Roosters this Sunday and Wests Tigers in Round 9 – and I encourage all our fans to get behind them.
Off the field, Nicho Hynes and Quincy Dodd were recognised with Indigenous Leadership and Excellence Awards at the recent NRL/RLPA Wellbeing and Education Academic Excellence ceremony, while NRLW captain Tiana Penitani was named in the Academic Team of the Year. All three players set a wonderful example – congratulations.
Jess Adams, our NRL sport scientist, was chosen as our Women in League Round role model ahead of our Round 22 game against the Rabbitohs. Jess brings significant value to the club and is a trailblazer in her field.
Excitingly, our Jersey Flegg under-21s team and NSW Cup partner club Newtown have qualified for the finals and will play at Leichhardt Oval this Saturday.
The Flegg boys sealed fifth spot with a seventh-straight win against the Warriors on Saturday. They will face the Knights in an elimination match kicking off at 3pm.
The Jets finished second, just one point behind the first-placed Bears, and will tackle the Raiders with a major semi-final spot on the line. The clash is scheduled after the Flegg fixture at 5pm. We wish both sides all the best.
There are two matches remaining for our Harvey Norman NSW Women's Premiership team. The girls have encountered several challenges this season, with injuries to the NRLW squad having a trickle-down effect, however they've gained valuable experience and continue to give their all. We look forward to a big finish to their campaign.
The recently concluded Winter Academy programs allowed the next generation of Sharks to continue their development with the benefit of a focused training block and games. We successfully fielded boys squads in the under 13s, 14s, 15s, 16s and 18s age groups and under 14s, 16s and 18s girls teams.
Trials for our 2025 male and female junior rep teams will take place in the coming weeks, with squads to be assembled and begin training before the end of the year.
Finally, we had a multitude of young Sharks represent Endeavour Sports High School in the Peter Mulholland NSW Schoolboys Cup grand final last week. Despite going down to Patrician Brothers' College Blacktown, their efforts underlined the rich talent in our pathways system and the benefits of our close connection to Endeavour, with Harold Matthews and SG Ball Cup coaches Brad Kelly and Dave Howlett involved at the school.
