Lady luck's brief dalliance with Cronulla came to an abrupt end on Friday when the NRL cellar-dwellers lost star playmaker Trent Barrett with a back injury.

Just days after skipper Paul Gallen was surprisingly cleared by the NRL judiciary to take his place in Saturday's must-win clash against Sydney Roosters, the Sharks' wretched injury run continued with Barrett's back failing to respond to treatment.

For a team that has struggled to put points on the board all season, Barrett's loss is a savage blow to Cronulla's chances of climbing the NRL ladder with Blake Green to take his place against the Roosters.

To make matters worse, the Roosters bolstered their playing stocks this week with former Bulldogs backrower Nick Kouparitsas joining the Bondi club on Wednesday.

"I'm not too sure," Kouparitsas said when asked what role he'd have with his new club.

"All I know is I've got to come in and take my opportunity and try and play well and secure a position."

Kouparitsas burst onto the scene with the Bulldogs in 2006 and seemed destined for a long run in the top grade following several eye-catching performances.

But this year he found himself struggling for a start, the addition of David Stagg and Greg Eastwood limiting his opportunities with Kouparitsas forced to settle for a run in the NSW Cup.

"They (the Bulldogs) were playing pretty good and getting no injuries and just bolstered up their back row with a few new recruits," he said.

"It's sort of hard playing back there (NSW Cup), there's a minimal crowd and playing on different ovals all the time, but I was starting to find a bit of form."

Despite being there only a few days, Kouparitsas wasted little time in slipping into the Roosters mantra as he defended the club's poor start to the season.

The Roosters have just two wins from seven matches, which is one better than Cronulla, the dire situation leaving rival coaches Brad Fittler and Ricky Stuart as the new favourites in betting markets for the first coach to be punted in 2009.

"I think people are jumping the gun when they are saying that they are struggling," Kouparitsas said of the Roosters.

"They just lost to the Warriors and the Dragons scored a few points, but they were pretty opportunistic tries, so I'm just hoping I can slot in well and play well and help the team."

The match presents the final opportunity for players to impress Test and City-Country selectors, Gallen and Sharks teammate Anthony Tupou both needing big games to hold onto their Australian jumpers with Tupou up against his former club for the first time.

"Its always good playing against your old club," Tupou said.

"To win against your old club, there's probably nothing better.

"Everyone thinks about it, whether they try and play it down or not. There's a little bit extra there in the back of their minds."

Brought to you by AAP © 2024 AAP