A two-try comeback performance of effervescent Sharks winger Ronaldo Mulitalo could be the added inspiration for his side to become a consistent force in 2026.
The energy was immediate when Mulitalo took his first bullocking run in the Sharks 38-16 win over the Bulldogs to kick off Magic Round, showing off the result of the tireless efforts to return from an ACL injury suffered in the 2025 Pacific Championships.
The 26-year-old credited experience with “seven or eight” surgeries in the past decade – on shoulders, an ankle, jaw and knees – for shaping the positive mindset driving a rapid turnaround inside seven months.
“I had a bad run of injuries when I was younger and I always told myself I wouldn’t be scared anytime I have a big injury,” Mulitalo said.
“I think it was my seventh or eighth surgery so that’s nothing different to what I’ve gone through and confident I’m ready anytime I step in.
Mulitalo Magic
"For me, regardless of the tries it was just about getting the club back into a good spot, but there’s a long way to go. It wasn’t about me, it was about getting a win going into the bye for our coach, that was the main thing.
“I’m always confident in my ability as you probably can tell. I don’t shy away from it, the pressure of the big stage, this is why I play footy, for the big moments, Magic Round, the bright lights.
“I think if you have a problem with your confidence, you shouldn’t be playing.
“As soon as you get worried about how you’re going to come back and how well you’re going to do, you’ve already lost the battle.”
Sharks v Bulldogs - Round 11, 2026
Mulitalo went under the knife in both shoulders by the time he was 18, but recognising it was something most players go through had served him well in being “fully committed” to every recovery process.
“I think people are stuck in their heads,” Mulitalo said.
“If you think ahead, think forward, think positive, good things happen.
“I love my life, I’m grateful for it, I’ve got the best opportunities, good people around me, and I just kept it positive the whole time.”
He said he was grateful for those who know him best at the Sharks and even new faces to the club – such as physiotherapist Dean Zalunardo – knowing what support he needed to put him in the right headspace to tick every box.
“Man, we got a young guy (Zalunardo) from the Dragons, a physio, he just came in, he hadn’t done a full-time gig before,” Mulitalo said.
“To come into the club, his first full-time gig, you’ve got me and Cameron McInnes, ACLs, and you’ve got to bring us back and integrate us into the team.
“He’s done an awesome job so massive wraps to him and Nathan Pickworth, our Head of Performance, he’s done an awesome job of backing me in, knowing me as a person.
“I’m not the best at fitness, but I’ll get a job done for you, so it was good.
“Craig (Fitzgibbon) did an awesome job for me, kept me around the team and staff, ‘DJ’, Daniel Holdsworth, they didn’t make me feel like an outsider, so I was always part of the team, coming to team games, travelling with the boys, and kept me close.”
Mulitalo will be one of a growing list of contenders for the Kiwis line-up at the 2026 Rugby League World Cup, but he said selection would look after itself if he continued to show his best.
“I think for now it’s about playing good footy, backing myself and that will sort itself out at the end of the year, I’ve got a good relationship with Stacey (Jones, Kiwis coach) as well and if I ever need someone to tell me what to work on, Stacey will be the first one to let me know,” Mulitalo said.
“The club comes first, they’re the ones who pay my wage and pay for my family house. They’ll always be first. When I do a job for them, they look after me.”
