‘Excited’ Graham fit to face Raiders

Cronulla utility Wade Graham has confirmed his availability to face Canberra in Sunday’s qualifying final.

Graham’s struggle with a sternum injury has coincided with the Sharks’ dip in form at the end of the year which saw them defeated by Melbourne and North Queensland.

But the Sharks’ first appearance in the NRL finals in four years has former Penrith player Graham ‘excited’.

“It’s an exciting time of the year for not just the players but the club and the whole Cronulla area,” Graham told the club website.

“It’s been a good season for the players as well as the whole community. When we went on that streak earlier on in the year the whole community got behind us and it’s been exciting times for Cronulla.”

Graham was also determined not to prevent his injury from appearing in the match at Canberra Stadium.

“I was almost close to playing last week but we thought better of it and as long as I get through all the training this week I’ll be available for selection,” he said.

“Rugby league is a funny game and you can never be sure, you go into every game willing to put the body at risk. I’m not going to be hesitant in anything I do because if you do that you are probably going to get hurt anyway.”

Playmaker Todd Carney has been named in the Sharks team despite aggravating an achilles injury but centre Ben Pomeroy will miss the match after being hit with a two match ban for a shoulder charge on Jonathan Thurston.