Sharks captain Gallen out for six weeks

Gallen, 34, was feared to have torn his anterior cruciate ligament during the Sharks' 20-14 loss to the North Queensland Cowboys in the opening round.

But the Sharks said scans on Monday showed posterior and meniscus damage to the veteran's knee.

"We thought the worst yesterday but that's not the case," Gallen said.

"I'll see a specialist and move on, find out exactly what's going on, but it will be a six-week injury at the worst."

Sharks coach Shane Flanagan welcomed the news as his team look to bounce back when they face the St George Illawarra Dragons on Sunday.

"We said a couple of prayers on the plane home yesterday, he's our captain and our leader," he said.

"It's great news he's not going to be out for too long."