After departing Sydney yesterday, the Sharks touched down in Los Angeles early this morning to continue preparations for their season-opening match against the Panthers in Las Vegas.
The 22-player squad was greeted by media upon arriving at LAX at 6am (Thursday local time) before experiencing the LA culture with a trip to the iconic Venice Beach.
Former NFL star Todd Gurley was on hand to meet the team only weeks after mingling with players at Sharks Stadium while on a tour of Australia.
The Sharks will set up camp in LA for four days, training at the University of Southern California over the weekend before leaving for Vegas on Monday.
While the US adventure has stoked plenty of excitement, Cronulla captain Cameron McInnes and his troops haven't lost sight of the task at hand.
"In the Origin space last year, I had the opportunity to actually talk to guys from all four teams that went (to Vegas in 2024)," McInnes said before departing Sydney.
"The Roosters and Manly had the best time and that's because they won.
"That's the main thing – you're going there to win the game."
Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon is eagerly awaiting another crack at the Panthers after having their season ended by a 26-6 loss to the champions in September.
"We got a lesson last year from Penrith in the semi-final, so we'll see how much we've improved over the off-season," Fitzgibbon said.
As announced yesterday, winger Sione Katoa was unfortunately unavailable for selection on the US trip after undergoing shoulder surgery.
Sharks Vegas squad
Daniel Atkinson
Jayden Berrell
Blayke Brailey
Billy Burns
Addin Fonua-Blake
Braden Hamlin-Uele
Tuku Hau Tapuha
Tom Hazelton
Mawene Hiroti
Nicho Hynes
Kayal Iro
Oregon Kaufusi
Will Kennedy
Cameron McInnes
Ronaldo Mulitalo
Briton Nikora
Hohepa Puru
Jesse Ramien
Sam Stonestreet
Siosifa Talakai
Braydon Trindall
Teig Wilton
