Cronulla’s push towards the NRL finals has taken another hit, with star winger Ronaldo Mulitalo set to be ruled out for several weeks with a knee injury. The Sharks are already without injured playmaker Nicho Hynes, who was ruled out for more than a month after suffering a syndesmosis ligament injury at training and is not expected back until the end of the regular season.
But the Sharks’ top-eight hopes have been dealt a further blow with reports winger Mulitalo is likely to be ruled out for up to a month with what appears to be an MCL injury. The NRL Physio account reported the Cronulla flyer has been in a knee brace since picking up the injury in the last 10 minutes of the Sharks’ round 21 defeat to the Cowboys.
News Corp reports that Mulitalo looks set to miss his side’s home clash against the Rabbitohs on Saturday night, and could be out for the next month. Mulitalo is one of the NRL’s leading try scorers and is an integral part of Craig Fitzgibbon’s side, who led the competition earlier in the season before tumbling down the ladder after some patchy recent form.
Mulitalo’s injury blow is another headache for the Sharks, who will be hoping to cement their spot in the top four during a crunch clash against South Sydney. Samuel Stonestreet would appear to be the most likely replacement for Mulitalo after making his NRL debut for the Sharks in round seven. The Sharks will get back Will Kennedy for the clash with Souths after the fullback served his one-game suspension for colliding with referee Adam Gee.
Cronulla hit with second major injury blow ahead of finals push
However, Fitzgibbon’s side will now have to continue their NRL finals push without two of their biggest strike weapons in attack, with Hynes not expected back until the penultimate game of the regular season against the Warriors, at the earliest. The halfback’s injury was expected to throw Cronulla’s season into turmoil but the Sharks have proven they’re capable of getting results without the former Dally M Medallist.
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