Cronulla's top-four NRL hopes have been dealt a massive blow, with five-eighth James Maloney to miss at least three weeks with a fractured hand.
The NSW State of Origin playmaker will undergo surgery on Monday, however Sharks coach Shane Flanagan is hopeful he will only miss three weeks and return well before the finals.
However, at the very best, Maloney will still miss matches against the Warriors, Canberra and most likely Brisbane as they fight for a spot in the top four.
The Sharks have a number of options in the halves, including possibly moving Blues Origin utility Jack Bird into the No.6 jersey - where he won rookie of the year in 2015.
Fa'amanu Brown is also a natural playmaker, if Flanagan opts not to move James Segeyaro into a starting halves spot.
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However, that plan could be hindered by the fact fellow hooker Jayden Brailey isn't set to return from a fractured jaw until round 25 - meaning mid-season recruit Adam Clydesdale could come onto the bench.
Maloney injured his hand in the Sharks' 26-12 win on Friday night over South Sydney.
He played out the match, and only appeared to show signs of pain late in the game when he clenched his fist after being tackled.
Maloney set up three crucial tries in the Sharks' victory, including one with 10 minutes to go from a grubber to put Cronulla back in control in his return from the Origin period.
"The way they handled the last eight minutes was really important," Flanagan said after the match.
"It was good game management at the end."
Flanagan is likely to give fullback Valentine Holmes and forward Andrew Fifita time away from training to rest them after Origin.
