Stand-in Cronulla captain John Morris claims the Sharks have the depth to cover losing the heart and soul of their forward pack against a Parramatta side desperate to kick-start their NRL campaign.

The Sharks will run on to Parramatta Stadium on Monday night without NSW Origin duo Paul Gallen and Kade Snowden as well as injured Kiwi backrower Jeremy Smith, removing much of their usual go-forward.

Former Eels prop Josh Cordoba comes in for Snowden up front, while Jayson Bukuya and Taulima Tautai have the unenviable task of picking up the slack for Gallen and Smith.

"Everyone's just got to do their bit without playing any differently," Morris said.

"Everyone's just got to raise their intensity a bit, pick up their workrate.

"Gal's playing out on the edge now, he's not doing a huge amount of work in defence, most of his efforts are coming when he's carrying the footy, he's getting 200 metres a game ... everyone will pitch in there and hopefully try and pick up Gal's metres."

The Eels, without any players lost to Origin, will hardly get a better chance to correct their miserable record against the Sharks, having come up with just one win in the last six contests between the two sides.

Both teams go into the game just two points above last-placed Canberra.

But the winners will find themselves just one win outside the top eight approaching the halfway point of the season and that would be a remarkable feat for a Sharks side many thought would struggle to get out of the cellar in 2011.

"They turned a bit of a corner against the Roosters," Morris said of the Sharks win over the 2010 grand finalists last week.

"The energy they created in that game and defending their line in that second half was really character building."

The game was the fourth in a row Morris had missed with a knee injury, the crafty hooker glad to end his frustrating stint on the sidelines.

"The last game I missed was in 2004. It was hard to getyour head around it because you just get used to backing up every week," Morris said.

"It was tough but it was even tougher that the boys weren't winning and we had a couple of other injuries in that time."

The Eels will look for a big game from superstar fullback Jarryd Hayne, the dumped NSW Origin regular no doubt desperate to prove his critics wrong after missing Blues selection for Wednesday night's State of Origin series opener.

Brought to you by AAP © 2024 AAP