Sharks props making Morris smile

Sharks coach John Morris is a happy man when he looks at the kind of statistics two of his prop forwards can produce off the bench.

Andrew Fifita and Braden Hamlin-Uele delivered big-time for Cronulla as they thumped the Warriors 42-16 at PointsBet Stadium on Saturday.

Hamlin-Uele even did a pretty good Payne Haas impersonation in tucking the ball up under his arm, putting his head down and sprinting 25 metres to score one of the Sharks' seven tries.

"He's been outstanding all year. Off the field he's worked really hard. He worked really hard in pre-season and he's being repaid for that now," Morris said.

"He's probably been a bit overweight and inconsistent previously. Last year he didn't consider himself a NRL player. This year he's just turned the corner working really hard off the field.

"He's got that belief in his ability now and all the boys love playing with him.

"He'll probably get kicked out of the front-rowers club if he keeps scoring tries like that. But he's a fair sight when he winds up, the big boy. I'm really happy for him for the season he's had."

As for Fifita, Morris and his medical staff have had to manage a troublesome knee for the dual Australia and Tonga international.

"He has a knee problem he's been struggling to nip in the bud. He wanted to play last week but we backed our plan to rest him," Morris said of the man who made 199 metres and had 12 tackle breaks in 44 minutes off the bench.

"It's a different role for him now. He's been used to being a starting player.

"But he's been really positive and upbeat about his role in the tea. If he comes off the bench and gives me 200 metres I'm happy with that."

Hamlin-Uele has been nearly as effective. He made 120 metres off nine runs in 37 minutes, with four tackle-busts.

"He looks like that type of player. He doesn’t take a backward step and that's what I like about him," Morris said of the 24-year-old when asked if Hamlin-Uele was finals ready.

"He genuinely thinks he'll break the line every time he runs at it. That's what you want out of your front rowers. There's always been something good happening around him this year.

"It's been a great year for his development and he's got some good combinations there. He really lifts the tempo when he comes on."

As for the big win over the Warriors, it sets the Sharks up nicely to host Canberra at PointsBet Stadium next weekend – their last home game.

"It was a pretty balanced performance. We had 11 guys who ran over 100 metres," Morris said.

"When you've got that kind of contribution, and that's including guys off the bench.

"Our back five were good – they all scored tries and worried them all day. They really laid us a solid foundation by giving us some ruck speed.

"Then you bring on guys like Braden, who is running as hard as he is, and we're moving the ball around with Shaun [Johnson], Chad [Townsend] and Wade [Graham] it's the balance I've been waiting to see all year."