The Late Mail: Rabbitohs v Bulldogs
56 mins ago | LeagueUnlimited Media
Cronulla coach Shane Flanagan has confirmed the return of the club's skipper Paul Gallen for this Saturday's clash against the Wests Tigers.
Speaking after the Sharks' 14-6 win over Melbourne at Southern Cross Group Stadium last night, Flanagan indicated to the press Gallen had been pushing to return to the field early after suffering the knee injury in the sides' opening round loss to premiers North Queensland.
Gallen had put his hand up for last night's clash but the Sharks coach insisted he was "just a little bit short" of being able to take the field.
"There was a little bit of swelling after he trained and obviously it's a long season so we don't need to rush him at this stage," Flanagan said.
The return will be welcome news for Gallen's teammates, who'll no doubt be sore after a rough-and-tumble encounter last night which saw tempers flare on multiple occasions. A five-day turnaround won't help either - but that's another story.
The Sharks are away to the Tigers on Saturday evening - travelling to Campbelltown Stadium for a 5:30pm kickoff in the fifth round of NRL.