It ended one match short of the NRL Grand Final, but season 2024 marked another step forward for Craig Fitzgibbon's men.
They maintained a place in the top four throughout the year, navigating challenges along the way, before recording a drought-breaking finals win over the Cowboys.
While Cronulla bravely went down to eventual premiers the Panthers in the preliminary final, the foundations for future success are firmly in place.
Read on as we crunch the numbers on the 2024 campaign.
NRL season 2024: By the numbers
5 – club debutants: Tuku Hau Tapuha (Round 2), Billy Burns (Round 3), Sam Stonestreet (Round 7), Liam Ison (Round 21), Jayden Berrell (Round 21).
7 – games won in a row between Round 4 and 11 (excluding a bye in Round 5). It was also the number of sold-out NRL matches at PointsBet Stadium.
8 – matches won away from home in the regular season (the equal second-best record on the road) including memorable victories in Melbourne and Brisbane.
11 – players who celebrated milestone matches (Dale Finucane – 250 games, Jack Williams – 100, Braden Hamlin-Uele – 100, Oregon Kaufusi – 100, Sione Katoa – 100, Ronaldo Mulitalo – 100, Siosifa Talakai – 100, Will Kennedy – 100, Cameron McInnes – 200, Toby Rudolf – 100, Nicho Hynes – 100).
16 – number of regular season victories, enough to secure a fourth-place finish.
18 – tries scored by the team's top finisher Ronaldo Mulitalo, one ahead of wing partner Sione Katoa and six more than five-eighth Braydon Trindall (12). 18 was also the number of line-break involvements by Trindall, the most in the league.
27 – players used across the season.
48 – offloads by Jesse Ramien, the fifth most in the competition. Prop Oregon Kaufusi (32) was also frequently able to get an arm free and promote the ball.
52 – Cronulla's biggest winning margin this season, achieved with a 58-6 drubbing of the Wests Tigers at PointsBet Stadium in Round 19.
83 – career tries for Ronaldo Mulitalo, who scored in the semi-final to overtake Steve Rogers (82) and move into outright third on the club's all-time leaderboard.
86 – Nicho Hynes' impressive conversion percentage. He kicked a total of 61 goals in 18 appearances, with fellow playmakers Braydon Trindall (29 goals) and Daniel Atkinson (14) also taking the tee at various points in the season.
103 – consecutive games played by Blayke Brailey after he featured in every match for a remarkable fourth straight season in 2024.
121 – tries scored by the Sharks (including finals matches). Only minor premiers the Storm (135) and Roosters (141) produced more.
131 – points scored by halfback Nicho Hynes, who topped the tally for the Sharks despite missing several matches due to injury.
143 – tackles broken by Sione Katoa, the equal-third most in the comp alongside Newcastle's Dane Gagai. Roosters captain James Tedesco (162) ranked first.
161 – support plays by Cameron McInnes. Only Manly's Jake Trbojevic (178) and the Roosters' Luke Keary (189) pushed up more than Cronulla's captain.
222 – Cronulla's points differential in the regular season, third-best in the league.
695 – points scored by the Sharks (inc. finals), an average of 25.7 per match.
1,378 – post-contact metres gained by Kayal Iro, edging out fellow centre Jesse Ramien (1,373) as the team's leader in this department.
3,360 – times Blayke Brailey touched the ball, more than other player.
9,410 – tackles made by the Sharks, the most in the competition. Blayke Brailey (1,108) topped the individual tally for the team.
16,212 – total kick metres by the Sharks, second behind the Bulldogs (17,026).
16,561 – passionate 2024 Sharks Members, a new club record. CLICK HERE for information on how to sign up for 2025!
