Tiana happy to be centre of attention as young Sharks tipped to shine

Playing five-eighth for NSW has given Tiana Penitani Gray a greater understanding of the game, but the Sharks captain is happy to play outside boom halves Chantay Kiria-Ratu and Georgia Hannaway in Thursday night’s NRLW season opener against the Eels.

Penitani Gray starred in the unfamiliar role as the Blues won their first Origin series but she is unlikely to shift from the centres for Cronulla after the 2024 grand finalists signed Kiria-Ratu from the Titans and Kiwis dual Olympic gold medallist Tyla King from the Dragons.

In addition, 20-year-old Hannaway made her Origin debut for Queensland in the series finale and she is set to form a long-term partnership with 21-year-old Kiria-Ratu, the Cook Islands halfback widely tipped to be a future superstar.

“Chantay is such an exciting player and when the news was announced that we had signed her I was so over the moon, and so excited,” Penitani Gray said.

“I think she's going to be a very, very damaging half, and she's still very young, so we are very lucky that we get her in our system at such a young age.

"She's already really made her mark on our team and I’m very excited to see how she goes this season.”

After partnering Knights playmaker Jesse Southwell in the halves for NSW, Penitani Gray returns to the centres for Cronulla with a greater insight into the game after being closer to the action.

The Jillaroos star had never played five-eighth until last year’s Pacific Championships opener against Papua New Guinea and after being impressed by her leadership in last year’s grand final, Blues coach John Strange picked Penitani in the No.6 jersey.

“I absolutely loved playing closer to the ball at six in Origin, and I'd love to play there in another team; whether it's Origin or the Jillaroos, or even at Sharks," she said.

"I think it just adds another string to my bow and allows me to see the game from a different point of view. It's given me confidence, even when I go back to centre, just to see the game from a different lens.

"I think it's helped me develop as a player and I'm really grateful for the opportunity that Strangey gave me to play there, and I was proud to be part of that winning side.

“But at the Sharks, I'm very happy to play at centre. I think it suits my style of footy and the way that we play, which is very different to Origin. Tony [Herman] and Strangey are two completely different coaches and we have completely different game plans.”

The season opener, which is expected to draw a massive television audience of Thursday night after the three Origins averaged more than 1m viewers, is being billed as a grudge match after the Sharks snatched a late 18-16 win last year.

“It’s going to be exciting and I think especially looking back last year when we played the Sharks we felt like the team that should have won," Parramatta captain Mahalia Murphy said.

"We lost in the last few minutes so this game is massive for us, and I think it's good for us to start the season against the Sharks because it is going to be a revenge game.

“We want to make sure that we win because we knew last year that we should have won so we are really excited to be opening the season against the Sharks."

With school holidays beginning this week, Penitani Gray believes the stand alone NRLW fixture at Sharks Stadium can also attract a good crowd.