Nathan Gardner and Stewart Mills return for the Cronulla Sharks

CRONULLA's finals campaign will be boosted this week with the return of fullback Nathan Gardner and winger Stewart Mills.

Gardner

CRONULLA's finals campaign will be boosted this week with the return of the club's two most exciting young backs - fullback Nathan Gardner and winger Stewart Mills.

Gardner will return just four months after undergoing surgery for a ruptured a cruciate ligament which would normally sideline a player for an entire season.

Sharks coach Shane Flanagan is still tossing up whether to rush him into first grade against Melbourne Storm on Monday night.

"He's ready to go again - it's just a matter of whether it's NSW Cup or the NRL team," Flanagan said.

"It's a big ask after such a long spell but we'll look at it later in the week."

The dashing fullback will add some needed strike power for the finals, although his replacement, Matthew Wright, has done a solid job.

Mills, a junior Kangaroos winger last year, has been troubled with a hamstring injury for much of the season.

Stewart Mills

When he started in the NRL last year, Phil Gould described his initial game as the best first grade debut he had ever seen.

"Having them both back gives us some exciting options for the finals," Flanagan said.

Meanwhile, the club has signed winger Nathan Stapleton to a new contract. He was being chased by Melbourne Storm.