Following the official announcement of the Sharks team list on Tuesday there was one notable omission from the Sharks 21-man NRL squad.
The name Valentine Holmes was missing, with the Sharks star set to miss one more game as he continues his recovery from a hamstring injury.
“Val was still 10 per cent away from being right to go,” coach Shane Flanagan said. “We could have named him but didn’t want the speculation to continue for another three or four days.
“We don’t want to risk him with a hamstring injury if he’s not 100 per cent.”
Holmes was again on the training paddock with the team today but was being closely monitored by medical staff. Barring any hiccups Holmes will be fit and available to play for the Sharks in their local derby clash in round 3.
In other injury news, the Sharks NRL squad was on deck today, reporting no obvious injury issues.
The 17 players from last Thursday night’s loss to the Broncos came through that match without any injury problems, as did the NRL squad members who turned out for the Newtown Jets last Sunday.
Tony Williams in his first hit out for the Sharks, albeit in Jets colours, played strongly after missing the back end of the pre-season due to a hamstring complaint.
Outside back Jordan Drew, who suffered a head knock in the Sharks final trial match against the Broncos, is the only player other than Holmes unavailable for selection this weekend.
The Sharks now have one more field session to complete before heading to Canberra to play the Raiders on Saturday night.
