Cronulla-Sutherland will be sweating on the health of star fullback Valentine Holmes after the 21-year-old was carried off the field in his side's 30-12 loss to the Brisbane Broncos at Dolphin Oval on Saturday night.
Holmes left the field in the 50th minute of the match after being tackled awkwardly while trying to score a try in the right corner.
The Australian international appeared to be in a lot of pain, clutching his hamstring as he was immediately taken into the visitor's dressing room.
Cronulla-Sutherland coach Shane Flanagan said Holmes would undergo scans on Sunday, with the club hoping their young fullback would be right for the World Club Challenge in two weeks.
It was a sour end to a poor night for Holmes, with the Shark struggling to get into the game from the outset.
Perhaps feeling the pressure of Ben Barba's off-season departure, Holmes failed to threaten a young Brisbane side that performed well above their weight.
Led by an inspirational performance from Alex Glenn, the Broncos put together a huge second 40 minutes to pull away from the reigning premiers after scores were locked at half-time.
It was a perfect start to the second half for Brisbane, finding the try line within minutes of retaking the field. Prop Herman Ese'ese was the beneficiary of a strong run from second-row forward Glenn, scoring under the posts untouched. Fullback Jamayne Isaako then calmly added the extras to give the Broncos an 18-12 lead.
Glenn extended the home side's lead in the 62nd minute, running a superb line to crash over to the right of the posts. Isaako continued his perfect night with the boot, giving Brisbane a 24-12 lead.
The game was put to bed in the 75th minute, with prop Joe Ofahengaue using his strength to score next to the posts. Isaako's conversion extended the lead to 18 as the Broncos cruised to an important pre-season victory.
Earlier, Sharks five-eighth Fa'amanu Brown opened the scoring, barging over the line in the fourth minute. Halfback James Maloney made no mistake with the conversion, giving Cronulla-Sutherland a 6-0 lead.
The Broncos hit back in the 18th minute, with forward Tevita Pangai Jnr running over the top of a number of the Sharks' big men to score next to the posts. Isaako slotted the extras to tie the match at 6-all.
Isaako added to his points tally in the 25th minute courtesy of a beautiful Ben Hunt ball that put the 20-year-old over the line. He then converted his own try to give Brisbane a six-point lead.
But Cronulla-Sutherland soon hit back, with two of their premiership stars combining to get their team back in the contest. It was James Maloney who showed his class, breaking through the Broncos' line to put Jayson Bukuya over for a four-pointer. Maloney then converted to make it a 12-all scoreline five minutes before half-time.
These first half efforts were not enough, with the Broncos keeping the Sharks scoreless in the second half to ease to a comfortable 30-12 win.
Brisbane Broncos 30 (Ofahengaue, Glenn, Pangai Jnr, Isaako, Ese'ese tries; Isaako 5 goals) def. Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 12 (Bukuya, Brown tries; Maloney 2 goals)
