Chiefs coach Colin Cooper believes most teams would want to avoid playing them towards the business end of Super Rugby after they dragged their fluctuating season from the abyss with last Saturday's battling draw against the Highlanders.

The Chiefs have five games left to play in the regular season and they realistically have to win each one if they're to retain their slim hopes of contesting the play-offs for an eighth consecutive year since winning their first title in 2012.

Colin says his "banged up" side could pull that off, acknowledging they must if they're to remain in the play-off picture, despite their growing injury list forcing changes week in, week out, with stand-in captain Michael Allardice and Lachlan Boshier joining those who are unavailable for Saturday's clash with the Sharks in Hamilton.

With All Blacks and co-captains Sam Cane (neck) and Brodie Retallick (wrist) still absent for the coming weeks, the Chiefs remain shorn of key players with the door to the play-offs in danger of slamming shut unless they return to winning ways, but the sheer desperation of their fight against the Highlanders indicated they're not done yet.

"We've had a tough season but we were pretty proud of the way we hung in there down in Dunedin," Says Colin on Tuesday.

"This group is strong and well led by the leaders. I don't think most teams would like to play the Chiefs, even though we're pretty banged up at the moment. We showed what we can do last weekend."

Their rollercoaster campaign is on somewhat of an upward curve again after digging deep to draw 31-31 with the Highlanders when they were trailing 28-12 in the 59th minute of their thriller in the deep south.

But the Chiefs must front for the Sharks minus Allardice (knee) at lock and Boshier (back) at openside flanker after they went off with knocks in the first half in Dunedin, though Cooper said both were expected to recover the following week.

The Sharks are second in an unpredictable South African conference and fifth in the overall standings after halting the considerable momentum of the table-topping Crusaders with last Friday's 21-21 draw in Christchurch.

It's a vital game for the Chiefs, who are bottom of the New Zealand conference and second-last overall, as they're five points shy of the play-offs with the four sides above them each having played a game less.

A crucial contest will be how the Chiefs' attack, which tops many of the competition's team stats, goes against a Sharks team Cooper said is "strong defensively".

"We know they're going to have a big scrum and a really good driving lineout. We have to make sure we stop that and our scrum is not so bad either.

"They will bring a lot of physicality and I don't think there have been a lot of line breaks against them."

Taleni Seu (shoulder) is another of their forwards affected by injury from the weekend, with him doubtful for the Sharks, but the potential return of Mitchell Karpik (knee) could help offset the loss of Boshier after his successful integration into club rugby.

Brodie's continued absence and the injury to Michael Allardice is likely to shift Tyler Ardron from No 8 to the second row alongside Mitchell Brown, with Colin confirming that young Waikato lock Laghlan McWhannell was unavailable after suffering an injury in club rugby last Saturday.

Colin says Bay of Plenty locks from their development squad were being considered as further cover as well as Jesse Parete, who can play the role and has done so among his eight appearances off the bench this season.

-Stuff.co.nz/Joseph_Pearson