Injured Sharks pushing hard for finals return

Will Kennedy holds no grudges for the hip drop tackle which has kept him sidelined for the past month as the livewire fullback sets a return date.

Kennedy will increase his rehab work this week. Picture: Jason McCawley / Getty Images

The Sharks are set to receive a huge boost, with fullback Will Kennedy declaring he should be ready to return to the field for week one of the finals.

Kennedy hasn’t played since Round 20, when his right foot was caught in an awkward hip drop tackle by South Sydney’s Tevita Tatola which went unpunished by the match review committee.

Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon wasn’t happy at the time and said “it was getting difficult to understand” some of the decisions coming from head office.

Kennedy required surgery on his ankle and only started properly running again on Saturday, with another session on Monday.

Will Kennedy has become a key member of Cronulla’s spine. Picture: Cameron Spencer / Getty Images

Kade Dykes and Lachie Miller have done a great job to have the Sharks on track for a top-two finish, but Kennedy’s return will add another point of difference in attack.

“I should be back week one of the finals; I’ll just train this week and hopefully get enough rehab to be back next week,” said Kennedy, who has five tries and 14 try assists this season.

“It was pretty painful. I thought I just rolled my ankle, so I thought I could keep playing, but I was just hopping along for the rest of the game.

“I haven’t done any ball work yet but I’ll do some rehab running this week and then hopefully start doing longer strides next week. I’ll keep doing my rehab in the gym and hopefully hit the ground running for the finals.”

Hip drops have become a blight on the game this season, with Roosters forward Lindsay Collins accepting a four-game ban for a tackle which will likely sideline Melbourne’s Tom Eisenhuth for the rest of the year.

But Kennedy bears no ill will towards Tatola for the tackle.

“I didn’t really think much of it when I saw it,” Cronulla’s reigning player of the year said.

“I watched the review and it all seemed to happen pretty fast. He gave me a message saying it wasn’t intentional, and I knew it wasn’t intentional when I saw it.

“Sometimes you can’t help it and you can’t pull out of those tackles, but they do seem to be happening a fair bit now.”

The good news keeps coming, with Toby Rudolf edging closer to a return. Picture: Matt King / Getty Images

The Sharks are also hopeful Toby Rudolf will be back next week after he suffered a grade two medial ligament tear against the Tigers.

It would be a double boost for one of the league’s best teams, and teammate Nicho Hynes can’t wait to have the pair back in the side for the biggest games of the season.

“Will has had a terrific year and he provides a lot of confidence for other players in the team,” the halfback said.

“He’s very safe at the back and gets our numbers right in defence. He was the player of the year here last year and he’ll go close again this year.”