Injured Cronulla star Todd Carney is undergoing six hours of treatment a day in a desperate bid to play finals footy.

Just not this week however.

While refusing to put a line through Friday night’s sudden-death semi-final against Manly just yet, Carney admitted the work he was putting into rehabilitating his hamstring was with one eye on next week’s preliminary final.

The Sharks still have to beat the Sea Eagles to earn a berth in the grand final qualifier against South Sydney, but Carney is confident his teammates can get there without him.

And if they do, he wants to be ready for the Bunnies.

“Definitely – that’s why I’m doing the treatment I’m doing now, is trying to get it right for next week,” Carney said.

“Semi-final football, it’s do or die.

“Stranger things have happened – I’m confident in our boys that we can go out and play well.”

“(Coach Shane Flanagan) said that he will give me to Friday (to prove my fitness).

“But I had six hours of treatment (on Tuesday) and the same (on Wednesday) and same again Thursday.”

Carney’s impact on the Sharks is obvious, without him there is no genuine match-winner in the backline.

While his form this year has been a little up and down, it was good enough to see him finish as one of five finalists in the RLPA’s Player’s Player award.

He fought back gamely after the disappointment of missing Origin selection to produce his best football at the back-end of the season.

But admits the reality of more disappointment with his season coming to a premature end had not yet taken effect.

“It hasn’t really hit me yet – it will hit me when Friday comes,” Carney said.

“I know there’s a (good) replacement in Lewie (Luke Lewis).

“He’s a fair replacement, he’s done it at the Panthers a number of times, he’s played seven, he’s played six.

“I feel he can do that job well. We’ve changed our game plan a little bit, I think he can handle it.”