Cronulla Sharks 2026 Indigenous Jersey Youth

The Sharks are proud to share their 2026 Indigenous jersey, designed by renowned Bidjigal artist Jordan Ardler, and even prouder to share the meanings behind it.

It’s a jersey inspired by the stories passed down from generation to generation, and the strength of the Gweagal people who inhabited the ‘Kurranulla’ area where the Sharks live and play.

Ardler, a proud Dharawal woman, has crafted the Sharks' Indigenous jersey for the past four years, and again worked closely with the club’s players and staff to capture the rich stories, history and cultural essence of the 'Kurranulla' area 

One of the main themes of the jersey is the mangroves; inspired by local elder Aunty Barb Simms, who met with Sharks stars Jada Taylor and Quincy Dodd and shared stories about the mangroves in the region. The two NRLW champions then passed those stories on to Ms Ardler, and inspiration struck.

Key elements of the jersey include:

• Mangroves - Mangrove branches, well-known and found in the local area. Used for making traditional boomerangs, shields & spears. Patterns inspired by mangrove branches to give the look & feel. 

• Boomerangs – Bent and crafted from the local mangrove trees. Connection to the artist. Her grandfather was an artefact maker & wood burner.

• Gweagal spears – represent the strength of community; the spears were taken in 1770 and permanently repatriated to the La Perouse Aboriginal Community in 2024. 

• Shark teeth - community — ancestors, coaching staff, players' families. Shaped as a stadium.

• Shark fins - the fans — strength, loyalty, determination.

• Seagrass — restoration in Gamay. Caring for Country.

• Sun & shells — shell collection and shell art. Acknowledging the artists in the community who do a lot of shell work.

• Travel / ocean — footprints of those who walked before us. Saltwater peoples. Also reflecting Coastal Sydney. Water movement and local sand hills/environments.

The Sharks’ NRL and NRLW teams will wear the jersey in rounds 23 and 24 of the two-week Indigenous Round next month. A round that celebrates the strength, survival and culture of First Nations people and their immeasurable impact on rugby league.

In the artist’s words: Jordan Ardler

The jersey design is an acknowledgement of the local community, the land and its peoples, and the footprints of those who have walked before us. The Gweagal people, a clan of the Dharawal Nation and traditional custodians of the southern Sydney area (including Woolooware and Kurnell), have long utilised the mangroves of Botany Bay to collect materials for tools. A lot of the work was inspired by the ocean, the mangroves and being saltwater people, and my grandfather and what he used to do with his boomerangs. 

Mangroves are found everywhere in Cronulla. They hold a lot of history, knowledge, and stories that need to be told. Mangrove timber, specifically from the Grey Mangrove (Avicennia marina), is highly valued for making items such as boomerangs, shields, and spears. For thousands of years, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have managed these coastal environments, using the resources sustainably. The process of collecting and shaping this wood is a direct link to Country and cultural heritage, a practice that continues today. In addition to timber, the area is known for the collection of shells, bark, and other materials used to make tools, such as the famous Gweagal spears.

The Gweagal spears were taken in 1770 without the consent of the Gweagal people by members of the HMB Endeavour crew, commanded by Lieutenant James Cook, and taken to England. They were only returned in 2024 thanks to the hard work of the Gweagal people, the broader Dharawal Nation and leading community organisations. I really wanted to show them on the jersey so people might go and research how great a history that was. A history that shows the strength and resilience of the Indigenous peoples of this land.