The Cronulla Sharks' thrilling 10-8 victory against the high-flying New Zealand Warriors has come at a cost, with prop Toby Rudolf expected to be sidelined for an extended period following a knee injury in the match.
Rudolf left the field after suffering a medial ligament strain in his right knee, and is expected to be out of action for four to six weeks.
It comes at a costly time for Rudolf, who is currently fighting for a contract for next year.
The 30-year-old has been in solid form for the Sharks, bending the line with his returns and working well in a one-two punch with Addin Fonua-Blake up-front.
Rudolf was one of many Sharks players off-contract at the end of this season, which has seen stars such as Cameron McInnes, Sione Katoa and Jesse Ramien all secure positions elsewhere out of the Shire.
In a positive boost for the Sharks, Jesse Colquhoun has been cleared to play after he underwent a HIA against the Warriors and was ruled with a category one incident. He will face the Sydney Roosters this weekend after a successful review of his head knock, which forced him from the field in the first half.
Further testing following the match was implemented, which has seen the rising forward given the green light to lineup in the front row for their important clash.
The Sharks will head across the city to Moore Park to face the Roosters on Sunday night.
