It was an initiative which officially kicked off at the start of 2024, with Cronulla High School's Rugby League Excellence program looking to expand and grow in offering sporting opportunities for young students.
Catering for boys and girls, the Cronulla High program began with 31 students across all grades 7 to 12 and has since grown to 40 student athletes, with the intention to increase numbers even more going forward.
Cronulla High teacher and former NRL Match Official Cameron Paddy is driving the rugby league program, and with the support of the Sharks the aim is to improve and build it even further in the years to come.
"We definitely want people, parents and students, to know Cronulla High and our rugby league program has the support of the Sharks and is another option that combines schooling with rugby league," Paddy said.
"At the moment we are almost half and half, boys and girls, with a number of players at the school in junior rep and academy teams. This year we had players from Cronulla High in the Sharks Matthews Cup squad and girls playing in their Lisa Fiaola and Tarsha Gale Cup teams."
With the Sharks already accessing fields and a gym facility at Cronulla High for their junior teams, and also as an alternative venue when required for NRL training, Sharks Development and Pathways Manager Glenn Brailey had no hesitation in offering his support to the initiative.
"We support Cronulla High in their endeavours as they look to grow and build their program into the future," Brailey said. "A number of our pathways players are at the school, and potentially more will attend the school and be involved in the program in the years to come, so it's pleasing to see our players will be able to receive a traditional education, as well as an environment to further their rugby league development at the same time."
While the current system sees sporting high schools compete against each other, and state schools play in elite level competitions, Cronulla High can boast strong results in recent years.
Winners of the state-wide under-14 Buckley Shield in 2023, Cronulla also progressed to the semi-finals of the open age University Shield in 2024, before being beaten by Bass High in a closely fought contest.
"Our ambition would be to one day play and be competitive in the elite rugby league competitions but at the moment our focus is on growing the program while also providing some quality coaching," Paddy added.
"Quincy Dodd from the Sharks NRLW squad and a NSW and Australian representative, is a former Cronulla High student who has been coming down, helping out with some coaching and getting involved in the program."
For more information on Cronulla High School and their rugby league program, contact the school. Ph: (02) 9523 4017. E: cronulla-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au. Web: https://cronulla-h.schools.nsw.gov.au/co-curricular/rugby-league-program.html
