Cronulla coach Shane Flanagan relieved new recruit Luke Lewis not playing for Penrith

CRONULLA coach Shane Flanagan is glad new recruit Luke Lewis won't be wearing a Penrith jersey when the two sides clash tomorrow night.

CRONULLA coach Shane Flanagan is glad new recruit Luke Lewis won't be wearing a Penrith jersey when the two sides clash tomorrow night.

The Panthers forward is scheduled to have surgery to remove lumps on his neck this week and will miss the game against his new club at Toyota Stadium.

Lewis signed a four-year deal with the Sharks last Friday, starting next season.

"I'm glad he's not there," Flanagan said.

"(But) he's got a lot of pride in him and I'm sure he'll finish his time off at Penrith with credibility."

The Sharks have dropped from third to sixth on the NRL ladder in the past three weeks, thanks to two consecutive losses and a draw.

Flanagan said last week's 36-4 thumping by Canberra was very disappointing but could prove to be a well-timed wake-up call.

"We've been really good at home this year and had some good wins, we only had one loss prior to the Canberra game," he said.

"Six weeks out (from the finals), it hasn't really put us out of it, it just put us a couple of steps back and we just need to take those steps forward again.

"We've got a chance this weekend to right all our wrongs and I'm pretty sure they will do that."

The Sharks coach is banking on the return of skipper Paul Gallen, who has been sidelined since Round 13 with an abdominal problem and knee injury.

He will be given until game day to prove his fitness, while teammate Jeremy Smith is a near certainty to play after also recovering from a knee injury.

Despite Penrith's second-last placing, Flanagan doesn't discount their firepower, especially after their 28-16 victory over the Sydney Roosters.

"They played really well last week at home against the Roosters," he said.

"I think they've got everything to gain and nothing to lose at the moment, so I'm sure they'd love to come here and put another dent in our season.

"Whilst we got off to a real good start we can spoil it all by another poor performance."