Still battling a niggling hamstring issue and with the Sharks having a long turnaround until their next match following this weekend’s match then the week off due to the rep round, Luke Lewis has been ruled out of the game with the Tigers tomorrow.
Sharks coach Shane Flanagan declared Lewis a non-starter at his weekly press conference earlier today.
“Lewy is no good, ne won’t play tomorrow,” Flanagan said in response to media questioning. “We’ve got a bit of a change to make but I’ll keep that in my back pocket until tomorrow.”
A spectator at the Captain’s run today, Lewis hinted that while at pinch he may have been able to play, the safer option was to be 100 per cent fit for his teams’ next match on Friday week against the Dragons.
“It feels alright, but I’ve got 14 days from today to get right for our next game,” Lewis said.
Speculation as to a possible replacement was hosed down somewhat by Flanagan, however he did concede there was a chance Tony Williams would be unleashed to make his Sharks NRL debut.
“T-Rex is in the mix. I’ll make a call on that one tomorrow,” he said. “He’s had to slave away in the NSW Cup but the ball is in his court now and he might get his chance tomorrow.”
The rest of the Sharks squad, including Williams, Sam Tagataese, Joseph Paulo and Edrick Lee, along with Gerard Beale who has missed the last two games with a minor hamstring injury similar to the one Lewis is struggling with, all trained strongly at Southern Cross Group Stadium today.
The Sharks 19-man squad will officially be unveiled at 7.30pm tonight. Check the Sharks website for the team list.
