Cronulla's Jack Bird looks set to miss his side's clash with Brisbane, but the star centre could only miss one NRL match with a better-than-expected outlook on his injured shoulder.
Bird fell awkwardly late in the Sharks' loss to Canberra on Saturday night, sparking fears the 22-year-old's season could be over.
The club said on Monday that Bird was likely to miss one to two matches, with a specialist set to assess the injury on Wednesday.
Kurt Capewell and Gerald Beale are in line to replace Bird in the centres for Friday night's game at Suncorp Stadium, with the fourth-placed Sharks taking on the Broncos who are third.
While Bird is unlikely to face the Broncos, the Sharks are set to get back playmaker James Maloney after he missed the past two games with a broken hand.
Fullback Valentine Holmes said the Sharks have missed Maloney's big-game experience.
"Wade (Graham) and Ricky (Leutele) playing outside him, they do a lot of dangerous stuff down that left edge," Holmes told Fox Sports' NRL Tonight.
"I can't wait to get him back."
Skipper Paul Gallen is set to play his 300th NRL match against Brisbane with the 35-year-old in his 17th season with the club.
"It's a massive achievement for himself and we want to get the win so we'll definitely keep that in the back of our minds," Holmes said.
Young hooker Jayden Brailey is getting closer to a return with Cronulla expecting him to be fit for round 24 or round 25 after suffering a broken jaw against Manly in June.
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