If this happens, Blake Green may be selected at halfback, and Tony Caine may be promoted to the NRL side, to play dummy-half.

Tony Caine was one of the Sharks best players in NSW Cup last weekend.

He had a very strong game for the Sharks NSW Cup side.  Playing at lock forward, he pulled off some big tackles, and was heavily involved in both attack and defence.

If Ben Ross doesn’t play in round two because of injury, either Jack Afamasaga, Ryan Verlinden, or Jon Mannah, could make their Sharks NRL debut next weekend, on the basis of strong performances in the lower grades.

If Brett Kearney doesn’t play in round two because of injury, David Simmons will probably be selected at fullback.

An issue being discussed currently, is the effect of the additional policing of the ruck area resulting from the extra referee in 2009. It’s been suggested that faster play-the-balls will occur, and more metres will be gained from dummy-half runners.

It’s disappointing to Sharks fans that the two best dummy-half line breakers at the club over the last few seasons will not play for the Sharks in 2009. Isaac De Gois was a sensational dummy-half runner in 2007 and 2008, and prior to becoming a star representative player, Greg Bird was one of the top dummy-half line breakers in the NRL.

In addition, Kevin Kingston has left the club to join Parramatta, and he was also a good runner from dummy-half.

The two top hookers at the club currently are tackling-machine Corey Hughes, and the baby-faced assassin Terence Seu Seu. Although it’s great that such a clever, experienced, and tough player like Hughes has joined the Sharks, his most valuable input at the Sharks may not be to make long runs from dummy-half line breaks. Expect him to break the line close to the try-line, and score tries by exploiting tired and/or inexperienced defenders.

While representing Samoa in the recent Rugby League World Cup, Terence Seu Seu showed that he has developed a dummy-half combination with winger Misi Taulapapa. The ‘mouse-trap’ was used frequently by this pair, and added to the overall entertainment value of this highly under-rated tournament. Misi may get good yards from dummy-half running in 2009. He slotted into dummy-half from the wing a fair bit in 2008.

And with tutelage from Corey Hughes, who knows how much more improvement we will see from Seu Seu in 2009.

It is possible that a speedster like Brett Kearney may also exploit tired defenders with dummy-half runs in 2009, and Mitch Brown may do the same if called up to do NRL duty. In 2008, Brown showed dazzling speed when filling the fullback position in Kearney’s absence.

Although the Sharks have lost Greg Bird for 2009, they will still have a supply of experienced back-rowers that other NRL clubs will envy.

Even if Luke Douglas only plays in the front-row in 2009, and even if Fraser Anderson is only selected in the centres in 2009, and even if Reni Maitua is Brett Seymour’s replacement in the halves at the beginning of the season, the Sharks will have five experienced quality back-rowers to choose from for the first NRL game of 2009.

These five back-rowers are Paul Gallen, Reece Williams, Anthony Tupou, Grant Millington, and Jack Afamasaga.

Expect to see Millington playing more NRL than he did in 2008.  His form at the end of last season was sensational, and his enthusiastic defence on big opposing forwards was a highlight.

Playing in the Sharks NRL team in 2007 in the winger or centre position, he fell out of favour with some Sharks fans later in the season, primarily due to some disappointing handling errors.

In 2008, he returned to favour with fans once again, after moving into the second-row, where he performed strongly and was able to cement a regular first grade position.

In 2009, the Sharks supply of quality second-rowers will be the envy of other clubs.  With his speed and his experience with playing out wide, Anderson may be called on to play in the centres, particularly given the versatility of current centre David Simmons, who has covered the fullback spot with distinction.  Added to this is the disappointing 2008 season of Sharks recruit Karl Filiga, who isn’t currently challenging for a first-grade spot in the centres.

With the odds of Fraser Anderson playing in the centres in 2009 running fairly high, some fans have asked the question ‘How will he go?  Isn’t he a better second-rower than centre?’

The evidence indicates that he will play well in that position, making more attacking impact than he did from the second row.

Late in the 2008 season we got to see him play in the centres again.  In a game against the Sydney Roosters, with Brett Kearney withdrawing due to injury, David Simmons was moved to fullback and had a very strong game, and his place in the centres was covered by Fraser Anderson.

Playing two-in from the touchline in attack, and three-in from the touchline in defence to allow Kimmorley to defend two-in, Fraser Anderson completely dominated his Sydney Roosters counterpart, New Zealand international Iosia Soliola.

This dominance was exhibited very early in the game, when Anderson got outside his marker Soliola, and fended him off to leave him lying on the ground while Anderson crossed over the line for the first Sharks try of the game.  There was no overlap, just pure dominance.

It was great to watch the big Kiwi take advantage of the open space available out wide, which he did frequently.

In 2009 Fraser Anderson may be able to show off the attacking skills that could see him gain regular selection in the New Zealand team.

One important subject to fans is ‘Which prop forwards will be available to the Sharks in 2009?’.

During the 2008 season, nine forwards were selected as prop forwards in the Sharks NRL team.  These were Ross, Douglas, Nutley, Norrie, Snowden, Peek, Moa, Selmes, and Sua.

The hard-hitting Dan Nutley has retired and Adam Peek and Sam Moa have gone to the Super League in Europe, leaving only six potentially available to play in the NRL in 2009.

On the bright side the Sharks have signed two prop forwards, Ryan Verlinden from the North Sydney Bears, and Jon Mannah from Parramatta.

Jon Mannah is being spoken of as a member of the Sharks NYC team, so he may not get a look at NRL football in 2009.

Ryan Verlinden has not yet played NRL, but he has improved greatly every year playing under-20s and NSW Cup football with the North Sydney Bears, and was rewarded with selection in the NSW Cup representative side in 2008.  His hard-running style and towering physique had made him a crowd favourite at North Sydney Oval, where he was known as ‘The Rhino’.

While playing for the North Sydney Bears against Cronulla late in the 2008 NSW Cup season, his strong runs generated good attacking metres, and it required three Cronulla defenders to stop him each time.  He scores plenty of tries for a prop forward, is an exciting prospect, and is highly likely to be selected in the Sharks NRL team in 2009.

Also expect Jacob Selmes and Eddie Sua to play more NRL than they did in 2008.

The Sharks have also signed Jack Afamasaga from Manly, but he has played in the second row during his NRL career.  He played in the centres in his youth, as a talented young rugby union player in New Zealand.

The season will most probably start with Ben Ross, Luke Douglas, Bryan Norrie, and Kade Snowden, as the props in the NRL team.  Although Luke Douglas was often selected as a starting second-row forward in 2008, this may not happen in 2009, as the Sharks have a very strong contingent of back-row forwards for the 2009 season.  Luke Douglas may be in the front-row permanently from now on.

The expectations are high for the Sharks in 2009.  The club has signed four legendary players in Anthony Tupou, Trent Barrett, Corey Hughes, and Reni Maitua.

Trent Barrett’s considerable representative career is an indication as to his quality as a player.  While playing for Wigan in the Super League, he impressed league fans and earned plenty of man-of-the-match awards.  His strong defence was a standout feature of his game.

Anthony Tupou also has a considerable representative career, and most recently played for the Australian and New South Wales teams in 2008.  He shows a freakish ability to get an offload away in almost every tackle.

On the negative, the Sharks have lost players to other clubs or retirement, including Isaac De Gois, Dan Nutley, and Brett Kimmorley, and no-one is denying that they will be hard to replace.  Dan Nutley’s punishing defence made him a crowd favourite at Shark Park, and Sharks fans want to see the opposition forwards hurting in 2009.