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Regional | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks

Sharks aim to shut down Warriors' big men

The Warriors will need to be on their game as they take on a much-refreshed Sharks side in Sydney this evening.

The fifth-placed Sharks head into the matchup off the back of a shock 16-7 away loss to the Broncos last weekend in a game coach Craig Fitzgibbon described as a "flat performance" from his team.

The Sharks have had a huge 10-day turnaround since they last played, after a series of rapid-fire games. Fitzgibbon told media on Saturday that this week the team has been "trying to get a bit of gas back into the tank after three games in 12 days."

The Sharks coach was careful not to poke the tiger, complimenting the Warriors, who sit in 11th place, on their golden-point bounce back against the Raiders last game, after Melbourne took them apart in a record loss earlier in the week.

"They've managed to get their way through a couple of really tight games this year. It was a pretty remarkable come back from the week before so they've done really well to get themselves back on track there."

Fitzgibbon says the Sharks will have to shut down the Warriors' forwards to rein in the team's attacking threat and also be more "clinical", a quality that was missing last week against Brisbane.

"We're expecting and anticipating a tough game and we'll have to be prepared and have to play very well."

"They've got a lot of speed and skill out wide as well. They're a threat across the board there. Obviously, Reece Walsh and Shaun Johnson, they're capable of anything at any time. So we'll have to keep a good handle on the forwards to make sure they don't get time and space."

Kick-off is at 6.05pm today (NZ time).