Cronulla will be forced to dig into halves reserves this week after star Shaun Johnson suffered a suspected ruptured Achilles that will end his NRL season.
On Sunday morning the club is expected to confirm initial concerns which forced Johnson from the field in a 34-18 loss to Sydney Roosters.
And just two weeks out from the finals, it’s a less than ideal scenario for the eighth-placed side.
With Johnson sidelined and Chad Townsend suspended until week one of the finals, Sharks coach John Morris will be forced to find back up against Canberra on Saturday afternoon.
The job is likely to fall to Connor Tracey who has deputised since Townsend was sent off for a hit on Kalyn Ponga in Round 17.
However, returning skipper Wade Graham is also an option in the halves given his ball-playing ability and the need for Sharks to make a statement against the Raiders.
“Obviously Braydon Trindall as done a good job, Connor’s been doing a fantastic job for us and he’ll compete hard for you,” Morris said of his halves options.
“Wade Graham comes back into the side so he brings a skill set that he could go there as well, he’s played there before with State of Origin so I may look to bring Wade into the play there.
“We’re pretty wounded at the moment, not just those three, there’s a number of guys there with ice packs on.
“We just need to lick our wounds and dust ourselves off and get a healthy 17 together and get going again.
“It’s been a fantastic effort to put ourselves in this position so we need to make sure this doesn’t put too much of a dent in our confidence.”
The Sharks are assured a place in the finals after a gutsy win over the Warriors in Round 18 shored up their place.
However, they have not yet beaten a current top eight side this season.
Morris wanted to make a statement against the Roosters on Saturday night but he’ll settle for next week against the Raiders.
“I wanted us to come here and put in a really solid performance just to get the belief and momentum,” he said.
“I thought we found it last week, it was a high-pressure game last week for us to cement our spot and turn the Warriors away.
“Emotionally the guys were really up for that last week, played really well but the Roosters turned up tonight to play for Mitch Aubusson.
“We don’t take out of the game what I was hoping to.
“A week is a long time in footy and you can get it back going again pretty quick hopefully.”
souvalis
Roar Rookie
Shark shield wall and heave.
Dogs Boddy
Roar Rookie
Sure, we just lost our star half Sure, we lost our star centre at the start of the season because he forgot to listen to Mr Mackey Sure, we have Josh Dugan Sure, we haven't beaten any of the top 8 teams this season Sure, we seem to have pivoted from being a defensive powerhouse to trying to win by just scoring more instead Sure, our form and performance has been a rollercoaster of great and terrible Sure, our team is a lot of new faces who are still figuring out the top grade But, we are in the 8 and have a team that is hungry and have played with each other (mostly at Newtown, but still) for quite a while. The combinations are there, the skill is there, the desire is there and the chance is there for the taking. You don't need to beat every team all year, you only need to beat them once each in the last few weeks. In it up to our eyeballs, very proud of the baby sharks this year and our future is looking good. Let's see how they step up to the finals. First victim - Raiders or Eels. Up Up
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
Losing Johnson the club's best attacker, kicker and line breaker, is devastating for the club. Remembering the club has not beaten any of the other 7 teams in the 8.th other players will have to lift markedly if the team is to do anything in the semis.I just hope Townsend has done a wad of tackling practice with his stint on the sidelines.
Nat
Roar Rookie
Devastating for Johnson and Sharkies. A good as Trindal and Tracey have gone this year, it might be a good idea to start Graham in the halves. Their depth is pretty good in the backrow and his experience will be vital in the finals.