It's the NRL's equivalent of sleeping with one eye open - marking Manly hitman Steve Matai.

That's the view of Cronulla's Ben Pomeroy, who will line up opposite Matai when the Kiwi international returns from a seven-match ban in Saturday's NRL clash with Cronulla.

The Sea Eagles centre added to his long judiciary rap sheet when he was outed for a late hit on Canterbury hooker Michael Ennis in round 26 last year.

"You've sort of got to have one eye on the ball when it's coming your way and one eye on him," said Pomeroy, the in-form centre who will play his 100th game for the Sharks at Toyota Stadium.

"He likes to wedge in, come in for the big shot so that's his game.

"You just worry about catching that ball and putting yourself in a good position where he's not allowed to wedge on you.

"I enjoy the challenge, when you come up against players like him ... it sort of makes you step your game up a bit more."

There's little doubt Matai will be champing at the bit when he finally gets onto the field in 2011, joining giant winger Tony Williams and prop George Rose in making round five returns for the Sea Eagles.

Fullback Brett Stewart has been ruled out for a second straight week with a hamstring injury, while forwards Anthony Watmough and Terence Seu Seu have been suspended for a week by the club after they were booked for urinating in public.

Young utility back Will Hopoate will again deputise for Stewart with Williams coming in on the wing.

The Sharks are looking to notch their first battle of the beaches victory in five attempts, while Manly have also won the past five at Shark Park.

But Shane Flanagan's men have started 2011 impressively, among them off-contract Pomeroy who needed a skin graft last year to overcome a long-term hand injury that was hampering his game.

"It was just a split webbing on my little finger," he said. "I just went to palm someone off and it just split.

"It wasn't so bad the first time, it was just on the inside of the finger, I just got stitched up.

"I think I split it five weeks in a row, got it restitched every week.

"I was playing with one hand basically ... (so) they decided to go with a skin graft and even that didn't go so well.

"It was only supposed to take two weeks to heal up but it took eight."

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