Sharks v Panthers: Fifita, Lewis to play; Hetherington to debut

Rocked by a heavy injury toll in last week's 40-20 loss to the Dragons, the Sharks will have their depth tested over the coming weeks.

The 2016 premiers have won just two games and are under pressure to prove that pre-season polls which had them finishing in the top eight (some said top four) were on the money.

The Sharks are banking on high-priced off-season recruits Josh Dugan and Matt Moylan to start living up to expectations.

Penrith halfback James Maloney has led the way for the in-form Panthers (5-1) in the absence of injured young gun Nathan Cleary. Maloney spent two years with Cronulla and will be relishing his first game against his former team.

Key match-up: Chad Townsend simply has to out-point former teammate Maloney if the Sharks are going to prevail, especially with so many injured comrades on the sideline. Maloney has been the driving force for Penrith (5-1) in Cleary's absence and the Panthers might struggle if their experienced field general is over-shadowed by Townsend.

For the Sharks to win: It's a tough ask for a team that was already out of sorts and now has to battle without some of their best players. If the Sharks get special efforts from the new faces in the team and take-charge performances from Moylan and Dugan, they could cause a boilover.

For the Panthers to win: Even when they don't start well (which has often been the case this year) the Panthers still find ways to win. It's a safe bet that Maloney will come in for frequent attention from his former teammates and Penrith will need players like Trent Merrin, Peter Wallace and Tyrone Peachey to pick up the slack.

Sharks stat attack: The Panthers, particularly Maloney, better be careful with their ball movement in the backline. Sharks winger Ricky Leutele leads the NRL in intercepts (3) and will be looking to swoop on anything loose. Cronulla has five intercepts in total to also lead the teams category.

Panthers stat attack: Penrith have lost six of their past seven meetings with Cronulla and not won on the Sharks' home ground since 2012. If they beat the Sharks it will be the Panthers' best start to a season in 19 years.

And another thing: Maloney is the quintessential rugby league journeyman, playing with five clubs during his 10-year career. Staring with Melbourne in 2009, he has spent time with the Warriors, Roosters, Sharks and now Panthers. He is somewhat of a lucky charm, winning premierships with the Roosters (2013) and Sharks (2016).

Prediction: Panthers by 8