Off-contract Shark addresses contract situation

Off-contract at the end of the season and linked with the New Zealand Warriors, Braden Hamlin-Uele has addressed his contract situation and his future.

Able to negotiate with rival clubs from November 1 last season, the prop has become a target of multiple clubs, but mainly the New Zealand Warriors.

After it was confirmed that Addin Fonua-Blake would leave the club at the end of the season to join the Sharks, it has left a significant hole in the forward pack.

There are very few top-tier props left on the market for 2024, though, and The Sydney Morning Herald previously suggested that they have offered a contract in the realms of $700,000 per season over three years.

It's believed the Sharks also have a deal on the table, but that it doesn't go close to matching what the Warriors have put in front of the prop, who could now return to his birthplace and be almost guaranteed a starting spot.

The enforcer revealed that he hopes to get his future sorted as soon as possible but gave no real indication on if he will stay with the Sharks or join the Warriors or another club.

"Hopefully (it's done) ASAP," Hamlin-Uele said, via AAP.

"I'm in regular contact with my manager to see what the go is. That's his side of the business, I'm just here to run the ball and tackle.

"If it comes to it, it'd be devastating to leave (Cronulla). But it would also be exciting to see what's on the other side."

Debuting in 2017 with the North Queensland Cowboys, Hamlin-Uele has gone on to play 98 of his 99 NRL games with the Sharks, where he has become a key member of Craig Fitzgibbon's forward pack.

The 29-year-old has also played a Test for New Zealand in 2019 and another for Samoa in 2022 before having his Rugby League World Cup campaign cut short.