Cronulla has suffered a huge injury blow with front-rower Toby Rudolf expected to be sidelined for up to three months.
The 27-year-old had surgery on Tuesday on his big toe.
He suffered the injury during Sunday’s 32-30 loss to the Warriors, with scans revealing damage to the first metatarsophalangeal joint, which is located at the base of the big toe.
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“The rehabilitation process will result in a recovery period of approximately three months before Rudolf would be fit to return,” the Sharks said in a statement.
That would sideline him until the round 19 match against the Wests Tigers in early July.
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Adding to the Sharks’ woes, Dale Finucane will spend the next three matches on the sideline after taking the early plea for a hip drop tackle.
Cronulla has the bye this week, before facing the Roosters on April 14 at PointsBet Stadium.
In some good news for coach Craig Fitzgibbon, Wade Graham will return from suspension to face the Roosters, while Oregon Kaufusi is also expected to return after missing the match against the Warriors with concussion.
Widely expected to challenge for a top four spot at the start of the season, the Sharks have won just two of their five matches to date, and sit in 12th spot on the ladder.
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