Sharks coach Shane Flanagan had the luxury of sitting Ricky Leutele out of the Monday night drawn match with the Gold Coast, with the talented centre 18th man for the game last night.
Leutele has fully recovered from an ankle sprain, one he suffered in the Round 17 victory over the Eels, however with the backline fit and firing over the last few weeks the coach resisted the urge to make changes.
He will come into calculations this weekend for the game with the Raiders and while likely not to be named later today for the clash on Saturday, Leutele could potentially be a late inclusion, especially if suspension was to sideline five eighth James Maloney.
While bringing in Fa’amanu Brown as a straight swap for Maloney would be one option, switching Jack Bird into the halves and slotting Leutele back into the centres, is another possibility.
In other injury news coming from the Titans game, Andrew Fifita had the coaching and medical staff concerned after experiencing discomfort from a lower leg problem immediately following the match.
Fifita attended a nearby hospital for observation and to undergo some tests, but in good news for the Sharks ahead of the big games upcoming, his condition significantly improved overnight and he is expected to be named for the Raiders match and to take his place in the team on Saturday.
Other than a cut suffered by Sam Tagataese and the usual bumps and bruises associated with such a physical game, the rest of the team came through without any major injury issues.
In further injury news, Jordan Drew (shoulder) and Anthony Moraitis (concussion) both failed to finish the game for the Jets in their win over the Panthers last Saturday, with the pair to be monitored in relation to their status for the upcoming round or matches.
Both Drew and Moriatis have been mainstays for the Newtown side so far in 2016, with the Jets sitting fifth on the Intrust Super Premiership competition table.
The Sharks have a short turn around into a Saturday game this weekend, while the Jets are also in action on Saturday, their game to be played at Hunter Stadium in Newcastle.
