Cronulla will nervously wait on the diagnosis of a suspected rib injury to key prop Matt Prior following gut-wrenching six-point loss to Penrith.
Prior played just six minutes at Panthers Stadium on Friday night before having his ribs knocked out of joint by Panthers hitman Liam Martin.
Fellow front-rower Andrew Fifita was also unable to finish the game after aggravating a knee issue, however the injury isn’t considered serious.
Sharks coach John Morris conceded the loss of Prior early played a factor in a disappointing first half that ended in a 20-4 deficit at the break.
“We lost Matty early, which hurt us. He’s been really good for us the last two weeks,” Morris said post-game.
“He just got a blow to his ribs a while back. I haven’t really had a chance to see what’s the problem there, but he was unable to return.
“And Andrew had a knee issue there later in the game.
“We certainly lost a little bit of grunt in our middle which I felt that we needed some fresh legs there in the first half. Hopefully he’s okay for next week.”
Morris admitted it’s been an ongoing problem for his start prop, who carried the ball for a low-key 87m from 11 carries in 46 minutes of action.
“He’s had it most of the year. He’s just had a bit of an ongoing knee complaint but he’s managing. I’m not too sure if it’s made any worse from today,” Morris said.
“But the taping’s just there for preventative ways.”
The defeat not only snaps a two-game winning streak, but means the Sharks could drop as low as 11th by the end of the round.
It is unfamiliar territory for Cronulla, who have not entered the final month of the regular season outside the top eight since they finished with the spoon in 2014.
Poor goal-kicking again proved an issue after the Sharks matched the Panthers with four tries apiece, with Shaun Johnson converting two from four attempts.
“It’s been an issue for us all year and just goes to show the importance of taking the two. I think they got all their goals today,” Morris said.
“That was the difference in the end.
“It was four tries all. It’s something that we continue to work on. Shaun’s been much better since he come back from his injury.”