Shark hooker's trick for speedy recovery

Cronulla's medical staff have a strong record of helping players through their recovery periods quickly. 

Ronaldo Mulitalo and Cam McInnes returned from anterior cruciate ligament injuries in seven and eight months, respectively, earlier this year.

Co-captain Brailey convinced himself he could follow in their speedy footsteps and return for Sunday's clash with the Sydney Roosters.

"As soon as I did it (the injury), the next night I wrote down this game on the back of my door and every time I'd get home or leave, I'd look at that," he said.

"That was a motivating factor there."

Missing footy had been somewhat unfamiliar for Brailey, who held the NRL's longest active streak of consecutive appearances (139) until earlier this season.

The Sharks' wins over St George Illawarra and the Warriors in his absence had made Brailey even keener to return to the field.

"Watching the boys go about their business and play so strong for the Sharks really inspired me," he said.

True to his word, Brailey made it back for round 16.

His only regret was not being able to prevent a 27-8 loss to the Roosters, who moved into fourth place on the ladder with their victory.

"I pulled up fine. I was confident in it throughout the week," Brailey said.

"I've come through unscathed ... (but) I wish I could've done more for the side."

Brailey would not be drawn to comment on his hopes of a NSW recall for the State of Origin decider on July 8.

The 27-year-old was excellent on debut in game one, two days before breaking his arm, and was desperately missed as Reece Robson struggled for impact playing 80 minutes at hooker in NSW's game-two loss.

Cronulla have a bye next week, so Brailey will not have another chance to reassert his Origin credentials before teams are picked for the decider.

"I'll probably just reflect on the game today and go through the review process. That stuff is still a while away," he said.