As Sharks captain Cameron McInnes played down the pressure on Nicho Hynes under the bright lights of Las Vegas, the Sharks revealed a bigger issue on Thursday.
Katoa is expected to miss up to five months with the injury, after being hurt while attempting to score a try in their pre-season match against the Warriors a fortnight ago.
The Tongan international has since undergone a shoulder reconstruction with the Sharks not expecting him to return until around round 16 in the best-case scenario.
Katoa scored 17 tries for Cronulla last year and played a crucial role in their run to the preliminary finals with the power he provides out of the Sharks' own end.
Sam Stonestreet looms as the most likely to replace him on the wing, while Daniel Atkinson also has the ability to slide into the backline.
The Sharks will take on Nathan Cleary's Penrith for the first time since last season's preliminary final, where they were eliminated by the eventual champions.
Star halfback Hynes was unable to inspire the Sharks to an upset win over the Panthers that night and had come under fire for quiet State of Origin performances in his two outings for NSW.
But there will be no extra expectations from the Sharks as Hynes faces another rugby league cauldron in Vegas.
"There's no extra pressure from our team other than he puts on himself. He's gone through things no one else has had to," McInnes said.
"I'm not sure if it's a one on one game between those two (Hynes and Cleary). He's worked as hard this pre-season as everyone has."
McInnes has already been impressed with Hynes' start to the year, with the halfback instrumental in a 40-10 pre-season victory over Canberra last week.
"I thought he was outstanding the other night. He controlled the game really well, and that'll be his job come next Sunday afternoon (AEDT)," McInnes said.
Hynes aims to take his lessons from the past two years into this season.
"Sometimes things don't go to plan and you turn them into lessons," he told AAP.
"I'm really happy and feeling the best I've ever felt.
"This is a year where I'm just really knuckling down and focusing on myself."
The Sharks and Panthers were at Sydney Airport on Thursday before their 15-hour flight across the Pacific Ocean to the US.
McInnes' preparation for Las Vegas has been months in the making, stretching back to his time in Origin camp with NSW last year.
"In the Origin space last year, I had a chance to speak to the guys in the four teams that went," he said.
"Roosters and Manly had the best time (last time) because they won. We're in this business to win.
"Our two trial matches were far from perfect.
"As much as the boys are excited, we're excited to play the game as well.
"It's a massive stage, somewhat like a semi-final atmosphere I'd imagine."
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