On the eve of the Round 1 match against the Penrith Panthers at Allegiant Stadium, the Cronulla Sharks suffered a disastrous injury blow.
Forced to withdraw from the Sharks squad travelling overseas to Las Vegas, the Cronulla Sharks have confirmed that winger Sione Katoa has been ruled out for up to five months.
The club announced in a statement that Katoa has undergone a shoulder reconstruction in the hope that he will be able to make his return to the field for the second half of the 2025 NRL season.
The bombshell news comes after Katoa has been a consistent performer for the club over the past few seasons and is coming off a 2024 campaign which saw him score 18 tries and average 128 running metres per game.
In his absence, Sam Stonestreet has emerged as the frontrunner to replace him but Mawene Hiroti is also amongst the squad that has travelled to Las Vegas after representing the Maori All Stars.
"Sharks winger Sione Katoa will be sidelined for an extended period after undergoing shoulder reconstruction surgery earlier this week," a club statement read.
"Katoa was injured in the Sharks' opening trial match against the Warriors at Sharks Stadium two weeks ago.
"With Katoa unable to make the trip to Las Vegas the likes of Mฤori All Stars rep Mawene Hiroti and local product Sam Stonestreet will come into contention to take his place on the wing for the Sharks' opening round clash with the Panthers.
The Sharks depart for LA today, where they will set up a training base before shifting to Las Vegas next week to complete preparations for the Penrith match."
No disrespect to Hiroti, but surely Stonestreet offers more upside for the rest of the season ? If so, should he get the nod to start ?