Wade Graham is set to miss the opening rounds of the 2022 NRL season after scans revealed the extent of an ankle injury suffered in the Sharks trial match against the Bulldogs.
The Sharks skipper limped from the field after making a tackle in the first half of his team's trial win, with Graham suffering a syndesmosis injury to his left ankle.
Graham is scheduled to visit a specialist this week with surgery to follow. He is expected to be sidelined for around six weeks.
The loss of Graham comes as a blow to the Sharks with Cameron McInnes and Jack Williams to also be unavailable for round one after the pair recently underwent minor knee surgeries.
In some positive news on the injury front, Matt Moylan is fit and ready to face the Raiders after being rested from the two Sharks trial matches, with Toby Rudolf, Siosifa Talakai and Aiden Tolman to also be available for selection for the first game of the 2022 season despite missing the Bulldogs match.
The Sharks open their season with a game against the Raiders in Canberra next Friday. Kick off to that match is at 6.00pm