Cronulla Sharks cautious on Todd Carney

CRONULLA'S Todd Carney is raring to go but he will need to convince coach Shane Flanagan before he plays in the Sharks' season-opener.

CRONULLA playmaker Todd Carney is raring to go but he will need to convince coach Shane Flanagan before he plays in the Sharks' season-opener in two weeks.

Carney was a spectator alongside star recruit Luke Lewis as the Sharks scored three late tries to swamp the Newcastle Knights 22-16 in a trial win in Tamworth on Saturday night.

But while Lewis is certain to play in the Sharks' opener against Gold Coast after recovering from a stomach muscle injury, Flanagan is taking a wait-and-see approach to Carney's recovery from the ruptured achilles he suffered in last season's finals series.

SIGN UP FOR NRL SUPERCOACH

"Luke Lewis will be right 100 per cent and Todd's a real good chance at this stage," Flanagan said. "Todd is one of those cases where he is telling me he is fine and ready to go but I need to be careful.

"It's a pretty bad injury and I don't want to bring him back one week early and risk an injury. I'll be erring on the side of caution there."

The Sharks added to their injury concerns against the Knights when forward Bryce Gibbs limped off after just a few minutes with a possible calf tear.

FULLY UPDATED LIST: EVERY PLAYER, EVERY INJURY - PERFECT FOR SHAPING YOUR FANTASY TEAM