Gallen returns from foot injury

Paul Gallen returns to the Cronulla Sharks side from injury. Source: Mark Evans / News Limited

CRONULLA skipper Paul Gallen makes his long awaited return to the Sharks side in Saturday's clash with the Warriors.

Gallen has played only once since round eight thanks to a knee and foot injury, plus a suspension.

His last match for the Sharks was in round 14, making Saturday's encounter as the first game the lock forward has played since injuring his foot in State of Origin game two.

With Gallen added to the 17-man squad, Tyrone Peachey drops back to be 18th man however he will travel to Auckland with the team on Friday.

Meanwhile, Parramatta's Chris Sandow was signed to great fanfare on a contract worth $550,000 a year - but  now finds himself behind a player unwanted by the NRL strugglers in the Eels halfback pecking order.

Sandow is into the second season of a four-year deal with the Eels, who he joined from South Sydney, but will once again run out for Wentworthville in the NSW Cup this week against the Vulcans in Auckland.

This is despite an injury to Luke Kelly with the halfback role being filled by Ben Roberts, one of 11 players told by coach Ricky Stuart he would be leaving the club at the end of the year.

Former Bulldogs playmaker Roberts will wear the No.7 jumper against Manly with rookie Api Pewhairangi being promoted to first grade from the Magpies side to play five-eighth.

The Eels are looking to avoid a 10th straight loss to their bitter rivals, with the game having the added spice of Steve Matai and Mitchell Allgood going head to head for the first time since their brawl earlier this month at Brookvale Oval.

That game saw Eels prop Allgood sent off for punching Matai, with the New Zealand centre vowing to get revenge on the 24-year-old at Parramatta Stadium.

South Sydney young gun Luke Keary is once again named on an extended bench for the ladder leaders after his two-try salvo off the bench against the Gold Coast on Saturday.

The young playmaker is named on an extended bench with veteran Matt King keeping his spot in the side after a brilliant return to action against the Titans following almost a year on the sidelines with a badly broken arm.

The former NSW star is still mulling over his future but said the prospect of winning a premiership forced him to keep playing.

"This might be a bit of a selfish answer but, if we were coming dead last, I don't know if I would have had the motivation to come back to play a few games and get the wooden spoon," King said.

"The fact the boys are playing awesome and I was a chance of being a part of that, it makes running up and down hills and getting up out of bed at 6am to do weights a lot easier."

Newcastle must do without former representative props Willie Mason and Kade Snowden for the home clash with Brisbane at Hunter Stadium after Mason was ruled out for a month with a broken cheekbone.

Snowden is suspended so David Fa'alogo and Zane Tetevano will make up the Knights front-row in a game both sides must win to keep alive finals aspirations.

Sonny Bill Williams is out for the Sydney Roosters after taking the early guilty plea ahead of Friday's clash with Penrith.

Mitch Aubusson comes into the starting line-up in place of the Kiwi superstar.

Finally, at least North Queensland coach Neil Henry could see the funny side of ex-Queensland lock Dallas Johnson's NRL career being ended by a knee injury.

Henry has not had much to laugh about since being told he will not be required next year after the Cowboys' NRL finals hopes were all but extinguished by last round's 18-16 loss to Brisbane.

However, he still couldn't help break into an ironic chuckle when confirming Johnson had suffered a serious knee injury against the Broncos and would not play again.

Johnson had announced just last week that he would retire at the end of the NRL season.

But his farewell was brought forward six weeks after tearing an anterior cruciate ligament falling awkwardly in a tackle on Friday night - hardly a fitting swansong for one of league's hardest players.

"It's ironic that a guy who plays such a physical game has done his knee in a real innocuous situation," Henry said.

"He has been hit from behind and fallen over someone - not a big collision by charging into a defender or carrying the ball.

"He is obviously very distressed about it, he just loves playing footy.

"Everyone likes to go out on their own terms and that has been taken away from him.

"Our thoughts are with him but the facts are he's done."

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