Sharks playmaker set to celebrate 100th NRL game against Dolphins
It is complicated by its name, and complicated by its reputation.
That’s how teammates describe fast-talking, quick-thinking Cronulla quarterback Braydon “Tricky” Trindall, who will reach the 100-game milestone in his sixth NRL season when the Sharks host the Dolphins on Saturday.
“It rolls off the tongue quite well,” says Cronulla captain Blayke Brailey of Trindall’s nickname.
“That’s how he’s known in our barracks, in our club. He’s a ball of energy and always up to tricks.”
He is as energetic off the field as he is on the field.
“You hear the music playing and it’s dancing in the middle of the shacks,” Brailey says. “…and when he comes he makes your day better. He has stories and jokes and always makes everyone laugh.”
Brailey, like many of Cronulla’s products, came from the Newtown Jets-to-Sharks line and has played alongside Trindall for almost a decade. Sione Katoa, Will Kennedy, Toby Rudolf, Siosifa Talakai, Teig Wilton are also in this group.
Compared to his contemporaries, Trindall is a late bloomer. Brailey played his 100th game in mid-2023. Rudolf, Kennedy and Katoa reached this milestone in 2024. While some of this has to do with Trindall being stuck behind quarterbacks Matt Moylan and Shaun Johnson, before Nicho Hynes joins the club in 2022, Trindall was the first to say he still has things to do to grow.
“He’s a lot more mature as a person and as a football player,” Trindall says of the 2026 version of himself compared to the version that debuted in 2020.
“I’m still growing, but I’m becoming a little more mature.”
Trindall, who made his debut against the Broncos in round 12 of the 2020 season, spent much of the next three years bouncing between the NRL and NSW Cup.
When he played for Cronulla he mostly came off the bench in a supporting role. And when Trindall was finally given the chance to play alongside Hynes on a regular basis in the halves in 2024, he was caught attending training under the influence of alcohol and with an illegal substance in his system.
He missed five games, pleaded guilty in court, was fined $1,100 and had his license suspended.
It was a wake-up call for the 26-year-old, who returned with more discipline and played a part in Cronulla reaching the final, where they lost 26-6 to eventual winners Penrith.
He rejoined the club at the end of 2024 for a further three years.
“I didn’t want to go anywhere else,” Trindall said at the time. “The club has put a lot of trust in me over the years, so I look forward to repaying both them and the fans.”
He has repaid this with a superb 2025 season that has established him as one of the most creative players in the competition, and despite wearing the number 6 jersey he has also become Cronulla’s dominant playmaker.
Trindall returned to that form with one of his best individual performances in round one this season, scoring two tries and assisting three tries as Cronulla defeated the Titans 50-10.
It took time, but Trindall says patience is the reason he’s entering the best years of his career.
“I think it’s just a matter of taking a step back and taking a little more control, letting the game happen and choosing your moments within games,” Trindall says of finding maturity on the field.
“When you’re young and you don’t have a lot of experience, you just want to go, go, go, and I think when you try to do that, things don’t work out as well as you want them to. So I think just take a step back and let the game play out and pick your moments.”
These days Trindall is the fittest he has ever been and believes his best football is ahead of him. He hopes this bodes well for potential representation opportunities.
The representative says “Queensland” is one of their targets. “If your team isn’t performing, you won’t be looked after and you as an individual need to perform.”
Brailey, who has previously been recruited into the Blues camp and is also pursuing an Origin jersey, told Trindall he could see a place in the Maroons squad.
“He’s a Queenslander, so I don’t really like him,” Brailey jokes. “But yeah, I could definitely see him in that arena.
“I think his maturity and his game is coming along quickly. He’s definitely gotten to that level and he can definitely handle that level. So hopefully he can continue to play the way he is and have some success because I think he’ll be really good on that stage.”
“The path of your leadership [along] He’s been fantastic off the field as well, which is a testament to how hard he’s worked with the coaches and on himself, and obviously that shows on the field as well. “He gives truly remarkable performances.”
Billie Eder is a sports reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect with: X or email.
