NEWCASTLE have named their NRL players carrying injuries but have lost NRLW forwards Rima Butler and Simone Karpani for the double-header against Cronulla on Sunday.
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Butler, in her first season at the club after switching from Parramatta, is set for a stint on the sidelines after having surgery on a thumb she fractured in the side's 22-20 win over Brisbane.
She is expected to return this campaign but will be a big loss given she has started all five games and averaged 117 run-metres per match.
Karpani failed to finish Sunday's game due to an ankle injury.
Caitlan Johnston will start in the front row in their absences while skipper Hannah Southwell returns at lock after a week out.
Illawarra product Viena Tinao will come off the bench and play her first game since round two.
Meanwhile, NRL coach Adam O'Brien has named injured trio Jackson Hastings, Lachlan Fitzgibbon and Kurt Mann (sternum).
Hastings (leg) is confident of playing and is likely to be given right up until game day to prove his fitness.
Fitzgibbon is in doubt after hurting a shoulder he has previously had surgery on in Sunday's 29-10 win over Souths, Newcastle's seventh consecutive victory.
The Sharks, who have won their past three games, named the same side that beat North Queensland 32-12 last week.
Cronulla claimed a 26-6 win over Newcastle in round 12 at Coffs Harbour.
They were also victorious in both meetings last season, winning 38-16 at McDonald Jones Stadium in round 25 and 18-0 in round four at PointsBet Stadium.
Prior to that, the Knights enjoyed four consecutive wins across 2019-21.
