NRL draw
RUGBY LEAGUE: Cronulla and St George Illawarra face daunting away trips to start the 2016 NRL season after the draw was released on Friday.
The Sharks will return to the scene of their embarrassing 39-0 semi-final exit when they travel to Townsville on Saturday, March 5, to play the reigning premiers North Queensland in the opening round.
Kick-off is at 7.30pm
The Dragons will head south to take on Melbourne in the first Monday night football clash of the season on March 7, with kick-off at 7pm.
Cronulla and St George Illawarra will then meet in round two at Shark Park in the first local derby of 2016, on Sunday, March 13, kicking off at 4pm.
The Sharks and the Dragons will meet again in round 23 at Jubilee Oval, Carlton.
Sharks win
WATER POLO: Australia took a 2-0 lead in their three-Test series against Japan on Sunday night, with a convincing 14-7 win at the Sutherland Aquatic Centre.
The Sharks had already won the first match of the series 13-9 on Friday but were more convincing in game two, with goals to William Miller (5), Joe Kayes (4) and Johnno Cotterill (3).
The final match of the series was to be played last night.
Cronulla youngsters Rhys Holden, 18, and Keellan Milinkovic, 16, were invited to take part in Australia’s five-day training camp as part of the Sharks preparation for the Rio Olympics.
New coach
FOOTBALL: Sutherland have announced former Chilean international Carlos Villazon (pictured) as their first grade coach for next season.
Villazon has spent the past six years as an assistant coach and will look to improve on Sutherland’s disappointing 10th-placed finish in the National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s 1 competition.
The Sharks have also announced the signing of Rockdale City defender Takuya Murayama, who joins former Marconi under-20s captain Callum Fitzpatrick in the 2016 squad.