Brisbane's forward muscle has taken a late hit, with prop Nick Kenny breaking down at training on Saturday morning.

It's the second week in a row Kenny has been ruled out late, following his withdrawal from the Dragons' game the previous weekend.

While goal-kicking lock Corey Parker and winger Jharal Yow Yeh confirmed their starting spots, Kenny limped from the field midway through the final training session with a calf muscle injury, ahead of Sunday's clash with the Sharks.

Parker will come into the starting pack with either Lagi Setu or Alex Glenn dropping to the bench.

Kenny, who had been struggling to play with a lower back injury, was disappointed to be ruled out.

With the exception of glamour centre Justin Hodges and winger Denan Kemp, Brisbane look close to top strength against the battling Sharks in what shapes as a must-win game for both clubs.

Coach Ivan Henjak, who wasn't in his usual talkative mood, had no idea of how serious Kenny's injury might be.

"He popped a calf out there, so he's out," said Henjak.

"It's only just happened, I don't know how bad it is.

"He hadn't trained with us much all week, so we're going with the side that trained all week. We should be able to handle it."

The knives will be out for Brisbane if they can't beat Cronulla at home, with the side boosted by the returns of Israel Folau, Parker, Yow Yeh and suspended duo Ben Te'o and Antonio Winterstein.

"It always helps to get a few players back and they're probably coming back at a good time for us," said Henjak.

"It will help a few of the young guys to have a bit of experience around them, but we know it's going to be a tough physical battle."

Sharks' halfback Tim Smith, who was part of Brisbane's pre-season campaign, returns looking to cause more pain for the Broncos.

"He's a smart footballer, he's experienced and he's hungry too," said Henjak.

"He's keen to make this work and he'll be dangerous.

"They've got some other dangerous (players) in (Paul) Gallen, (Anthony) Tupou, (Grant) Millington, (Trent) Barrett and (Nathan) Stapleton at fullback and (Blake) Ferguson on the wing, so we're going to have to be very good."

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