KEY POINTS:
Sharks halfback, playmaker and captain Brett Kimmorley flew in to Auckland yesterday despite being knocked out during the City-County game on Thursday night, but whether he will play remains uncertain.
Kimmorley was laid out three minutes before halftime when his head collided with Ryan Hoffman's knee as he went in to make a tackle. He did not play on and could recollect nothing until the last 10 minutes of the game.
The halfback had a stiff neck yesterday and will have to pass the standard concussion test, completing a series of questions, with his score then compared to a test sat pre-season.
A team spokesman said a decision was unlikely until noon today.
The other four Sharks players in the trial came through sore but without injury.
Meanwhile the Warriors have been bolstered by the return from injury of Kiwis Jerome Ropati and Louis Anderson, who will add punch from the bench.
Both have returned via the Auckland Lions to regain their timing.
They will miss fullback Wade McKinnon who has been one of their most valuable attacking weapons, regularly making big midfield breaks through his support play and vision and ability to put himself in the right place at the right time to take the off-load. His average 13.1m gain on kick-return is the best in the NRL.
They may also miss his defensive cover, as the Sharks are sure to use kicks to target both McKinnon's replacement Patrick Ah Van as well as wing Manu Vatuvei, who has painted a bullseye on himself through his bad hands. NRL statistics also show his missed-tackle count is high.
The Sharks have had as disruptive a preparation. They lost in Newcastle on Monday night, after which coach Ricky Stuart blasted the side as lacking focus. The Warriors are hunting their seventh win on the trot at Mt Smart. The Sharks have not won in their last five visits there.
