STAR recruit Nathan Peats is out of the Titans crucial clash with the Sharks, joining a long list of Gold Coast hooking options watching from the stands.

A hamstring injury has laid Peats low and coach Neil Henry is playing it safe with his No. 9 given the five-day turnaround for their round 22 match against the Warriors.

Peats joins veteran rake Nathan Friend (hamstring) on the sidelines, as well as utilities Daniel Mortimer (hamstring) and Matt Srama (ACL), who are already gone for the season.

Cameron Cullen is expected to come into the 17 and will share the hooking duties with bench forward Ryan Simpkins.

Round 20

Cronulla are expected to line up 1-17.

Read on below for our full Monday Night Footy preview.

Gold Coast Titans v Cronulla Sharks, Cbus Super Stadium, 7pm (AEST) Monday

Titans: 1 David Mead 2 Anthony Don 3 Josh Hoffman 4 Konrad Hurrell 5 Nene MacDonald 6 Tyrone Roberts 7 Ashley Taylor 8 Luke Douglas 9 Nathan Peats 10 Ryan James 11 John Zebelon Taia 12 Chris McQueen 13 Greg Bird. Interchange: 14 Eddy Pettybourne 15 Leivaha Pulu 16 Agnatius Paasi 18 Ryan Simpkins 19 Nathaniel Peteru

Sharks: 1 Ben Barba 2 Sosaia Feki 3 Jack Bird 4 Gerard Beale 5 Valentine Holmes 6 James Maloney 7 Chad Townsend 8 Andrew Fifita 9 Michael Ennis 10 Sam Tagataese 11 Luke Lewis 12 Wade Graham 13 Paul Gallen. Interchange: 14 Joseph Paulo 15 Chris Heighington 16 Matt Prior 17 Jayson Bukuya.

The talking point: The Sharks’ legs. They’ve been going for a while now, 15 games was it? It’s been a big year for the likes of James Maloney, Paul Gallen and their other Origin stars, and it will take its toll at one point or another. Shane Flanagan knows this and has given his best players breaks in recent weeks but workload management is a fickle beast. A Monday night outing against a willing Gold Coast side may just catch Cronulla out.

The odds (courtesy of TAB): Titans $3.00 Sharks $1.40

The Fox Sports Lab Stat: History tells us Gold Coast hates scoring early points against the Sharks. In 14 games, the Titans have scored three tries collectively in the opening 20 minutes of all matches. The Sharks have held the Titans scoreless in the opening 20 minutes of their past six meetings.

Our Prediction: The Gold Coast are still a chance but the injury to Peats is a massive blow. Cronulla’s streak won’t be broken without him on the park.

Late Mail: Nathan Peats is out, with Cameron Cullen and Ryan Simpkins tipped to share the hooking duties for the home side.

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