Cronulla started the year with three straight losses and were languishing at the bottom of the ladder before getting themselves into a decent position on the table by Round 15. With six wins and seven losses including five wins from their last seven games, things looked to have turned around for Cronulla, but it wasn’t to be. A 46-point loss to North Queensland in Round 16 was followed by eight losses and just one win from their last 11 games. The boys from the Shire finished their season as it started, with three straight losses, leaving them at 15th place on the ladder and missing out on finals footy for the fourth consecutive year.
The Sharks just couldn’t find any consistency in 2015. They used 38 players during the season, the equal-second highest of any club, and only managed one winning streak, in which they won three in a row midway through the year. While it was down season in the NYC, Cronulla’s successful SG Ball and Harold Matthews’ sides show that more exciting talent is on the way for their Holden Cup side.
Standout Players
Hooker Jayden Brailey finished his first full season in the NYC as the competition’s top tackler. The 2014 Australian Schoolboy made 878 tackles and played in every game for Cronulla in 2015. Joshua Addo-Carr was a continual threat for the Sharks, the outside back was Cronulla’s top try scorer, broke 107 tackles, made 205 supports and averaged 141 metres a game.
Top Pointscorer
Despite only playing 12 games, Jamayne Isaako finished the year as Cronulla’s top pointscorer. The Junior Kiwis fullback in 2015, Isaako scored a try and kicked 26 goals for 57 points. He kicked the winning field goal in the Sharks’ 23-22 win over the Warriors in Round 9.
Top Tryscorer
Joshua Addo-Carr was the danger man in the Sharks backline in 2015, scoring 11 tries. Playing primarily on the wing and in the centres, the Moore Park junior finished his NYC career with 28 tries from 44 games.
Best Win
Round 9 – defeated the Warriors 23-22.
Round 21 – defeated the Warriors 22-20.
In a disappointing year, the Sharks pulled off two big wins over the seventh placed Warriors. In Round 9, Isaako was the hero, kicking a field goal to win the game. In Round 21, the Sharks travelled to Auckland and held on to win by two points thanks to runaway tries by Addo-Carr and Jaiden Brown.
Player to Watch In 2016
A member of Cronulla’s victorious SG Ball side earlier this year, centre Keenan Yorston moved up to the NYC during the season, playing five games before suffering an injury which ended his season. Hailing from Brisbane, Yorston represented the Australian Schoolboys in 2014 and played centre in Queensland’s Under 18 Origin win in June. Yorston is a graduate of Wavell State High, which has produced a number of NRL players over the years, including Greg Inglis and Adam Blair.
Representative Honours
Valentine Holmes – Junior Kangaroos (1 try, 1 goal, 6 points)
Jamayne Isaako – Junior Kiwis
Billy Magoulias – New South Wales under-18s
Curtis Scott – Australian Schoolboys, New South Wales under-18s (1 try, 4 points)
Daniel Vasquez – Australian Schoolboys, New South Wales under-18s
Keenan Yorston – Queensland under-18s
18TH MAN 