Cronulla and the Gold Coast have taken advantage of a roster shake-up at the Panthers, with the Sharks signing Harrison Hassett and the Titans snapping up Luke Sommerton. Hassett and Sommerton were among 13 players cut loose by the Panthers at the end of the 2025 NRL season, after not being offered new deals for 2026.
But News Corp is reporting that Hassett has landed a development deal with Cronulla, while Sommerton will be playing on the Gold Coast in 2026. The 21-year-old Hassett appears to have a bright future and scored a try on NRL debut for the Panthers against the Knights in Round 12 this year.
Josh Hannay’s Titans (L) and Craig Fitzgibbon’s Sharks (R) have swooped on players cut by Ivan Cleary and the Panthers (centre). Image: Getty
It’s the only game he’s played at first-grade level, after injury cruelled his chances of more first-grade experience at Penrith. Hassett had reportedly drawn interest from both the Broncos and Sharks, but has signed with Cronulla. The young forward will compete with the likes of Teig Wilton, Billy Burns and Jesse Colquhoun for playing time in 2026.
As for Sommerton, the 25-year-old hooker played 12 NRL games at the Panthers, including starting at No.9 in the finals against the Warriors. At one stage he was viewed as a potential long-term successor to Mitch Kenny, but the Panthers seemingly cooled on that plan.
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Hassett and Sommerton joined Daine Laurie, David Fale, Soni Luke, Brad Schneider, Mavrik Geyer, Zac Lipowicz, Asu Kepaoa, John Sagaga, Zack Lamont, Austin Dias, Riley Price and Preston Riki as players to depart the Panthers this off-season. Laurie (Raiders), Fale (Dragons), Schneider (Dolphins), Geyer (Tigers), Kepaoa (Knights) and Riki (Broncos) have all landed deals at other clubs.
Harrison Hassett (L) is heading to Cronulla, while Luke Sommerton (R) has joined Gold Coast. Image: Getty
Titans bring in Todd Carney as pathways coach
Sommerton is one of a handful of Gold Coast signings revealed this week, along with Siale Faeamani from Penrith, Jett Liu from the Dragons, Jensen Taumoepeau from Canberra and Oliver Pascoe from Ipswich in Queensland Cup. They’ve also brought in Todd Carney as a pathways coach.
“I’ll be doing the pathways and talent identification, which is great,” Carney told The Courier Mail. “I started this week and can’t wait to get into the role. There’s great talent on the Gold Coast. I’d love to help the club become a force and it starts at the grassroots level.”
New Titans coach Josh Hannay said: “I’m really excited about Todd coming on board to join our pathways department and complementing the great work Matt Keating does in leading that space. Todd’s story is well known. He was one of the most talented halves of his generation and someone who possessed a football brain few could match.
“The fact he’s chosen to work in a space where he can share that wealth of knowledge and expertise with our aspiring young Titans is a real boost to our pathways program. We have some of the most talented young players in the game within our system and it’s critical that we continue to seriously invest in the quality of program we provide for their development as young men and aspiring NRL players.”