League: Struggling Sharks can bite despite missing star players, says Mateo

NZ Warriors Feleti Mateo in action against the Newcastle Knights. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Warriors back-rower Feleti Mateo says his side need to be on their guard when they face the struggling Cronulla Sharks at Mt Smart Stadium tomorrow.

Despite sitting at the bottom of the NRL ladder and missing several big name players, including New South Wales State of Origin star Luke Lewis, ball-playing back-rower Wade Graham, and former Australian representative Anthony Tupou, Mateo insists the Sharks still need to be respected.

With captain Paul Gallen making a return from a bicep injury sustained against Newcastle back in round 18, and hard-running props Sam Tagataese and Andrew Fifita both in good form, Cronulla still possess plenty of power up front.

"I think they're a side that's been underestimated. They still have international and Origin players in the team and a pretty big forward pack so we're going to have our work cut out for us this week," Mateo said.

The 29-year-old veteran has been at the forefront of the Warriors' rising form in recent weeks, providing some much needed attacking spark in the absence of injured halfback Shaun Johnson. He laid on two tries for prop Sam Rapira in last Sunday's big win over Canberra but insists he feels no added pressure to produce the big plays with Johnson missing, and credits stand-in No 7 Thomas Leuluai for keeping them on track for their first finals appearance since 2011.

"Tommy's come in and done a wonderful job. He's got plenty of experience and we don't lose anything when Tommy comes in. For me, I'm just trying to do my job. I'm just trying to get the balance right and leave the other stuff to Tommy."

The Warriors will also be without the blockbusting power of centre Konrad Hurrell, but Mateo believes they have the depth to cover his loss and says they should take confidence from playing well without having big names on deck.

"It's always nice to have your best side out there but to the club's credit we've got a lot of depth here. We lose Konrad [Hurrell] and get a guy like Tui [Lolohea] to come in on the wing and show what he can do. We're not losing much in any position if someone goes down. It's a credit to the club for bringing through good players and keeping it strong in the second tier and down to the Under 20s.

"We've still got a long way to go in terms of where we want to be but we're definitely on the rise and things are looking up."

Coach Andrew McFadden says it's imperative his pack produce another dominant performance and is relying on them to set the tone for his side over the final five rounds of the competition.

"We certainly know that if we want to be playing at the right end of the season in the finals that our forward pack is going to need to be dominant. Against a team where that's probably their real strength this weekend - their forward pack - that's going to be a big challenge for them."