The Cronulla Sharks have confirmed Siosifa Talakai is no guarantee of taking his place on the interchange bench this Saturday against the Canterbury Bulldogs.
Talakai is recovering from an ankle injury sustained last weekend against the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
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The severity of the injury is unknown after he limped from the field after being caught awkwardly in a tackle, but the answer Sharks fans were hoping for was provided on Tuesday afternoon when he was named for the Round 4 clash against the Bulldogs.
If he is to not take his place on the bench, then the most likely replacement would be Billy Burns from the remainder of the 22-man squad, with the former Panther and Dragon able to play the same positions at Talakai.
The news out of Cronulla is far worse for Braden Hamlin-Uele though, with the prop suffering a knee cartilage injury in the game against South Sydney.
The prop forward, who has been replaced by the returning Thomas Hazelton for this weekend's game, is hoping to avoid surgery to repair the injury, and with that information not yet known, the club could not provide a return to play timeline for the power packet front rower.
Hazelton, who missed last weekend with injury himself, slots straight back into Craig Fitzgibbon's side who will be out to make a statement in what is a big game for the black, white and blue.
Hamlin-Uele was a force in limited minutes for the Sharks on Saturday, running for 87 metres from just 9 carries against South Sydney while also making 11 tackles without a miss.
Following their clash with the the Bulldogs, the Sharks will play the Canberra Raiders away from home, and then the Manly Sea Eagles at home.
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