Sharks aiming to avoid player exodus

Rookie Cronulla coach Craig Fitzgibbon isn't stressing about a potential mass roster exodus despite a slew of senior players, including captain Wade Graham, coming off contract this year.

Also unsigned for 2023 are established forwards Briton Nikora, Braden Hamlin-Uele, Jack Williams, Royce Hunt, Andrew Fifita and Aiden Tolman, playmaker Matt Moylan and outside back Mawene Hiroti.

While expansion team the Dolphins are among the clubs actively recruiting ahead of their NRL admission next season, Fitzgibbon said the Sharks will calmly follow a retention strategy.

"We're trying to stick to that plan and talk to some guys we want to keep around," Fitzgibbon told AAP.

"It's important not to overreact to anything at this stage. We're stable and hopefully the environment ... allows the players to want to stay and play for the Sharks.

"We want to be competitive and try not to lose our own players, but it can get very hard in the marketplace."

Fitzgibbon confirmed Graham will once again be the club's sole skipper in 2022.

After missing the back-half of last season following a worrying spate of head knocks, the skilful second-rower is back at full health and hasn't missed a training session all summer.

"He's been remarkably durable," Fitzgibbon said of the 31-year-old.

"He's in good spirits, he's really happy, he's been a really good performer throughout the pre-season."

Graham and most of the more experienced Sharks players won't feature in Sunday's trial against Penrith at CommBank Stadium with Fitzgibbon to give his younger talent a run.

When he gets his first-choice team on the park, Fitzgibbon noted the challenge of navigating the "never-ending dance" between being gritty and flamboyant.

"The guys get excited by the