Sharks’ minds on Origin

CRONULLA coach Shane Flanagan admits his State of Origin stars are distracted by the tight series heading into Saturday’s NRL blockbuster with Sydney Roosters. The Sharks had five players involved in last week’s representative clash, first in the NRL alongside Melbourne.

And after he played all five of his stars in last week’s loss to Manly, Flanagan now concedes resting players after Game Three is on the cards to give the Sharks the best hope of a title defence. “It’s a really difficult one at the moment because they are still thinking about Origin,” Flanagan said. “I understand young men and there is a big game a couple of Wednesdays away.”