Worst injury fears confirmed for Sharks captain
Jasper Bruce |
Cronulla’s NRL finals tilt has been rocked as scans confirmed a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament for inspirational captain Cameron McInnes.
The Sharks war-horse is also expected to miss the start of next season, the final year of his contract, after the right-knee injury forced him from the field in Saturday’s defeat of Gold Coast.
McInnes went for scans on Monday that confirmed the worst possible news: the second ACL rupture of his career after he missed the entire 2021 season while playing for St George Illawarra.
The current injury is on the opposite knee.
The 31-year-old former NSW representative is Cronulla’s heart and soul and their defensive rock, owning the record for most tackles in an NRL game.
He shaped as crucial to their hopes of going on a deep run in September, with the seventh-placed Sharks still in the mix for a top-four finish and double chance in finals.
Instead, the Sharks will be forced to find a new starting lock and appoint a new captain when they return from the bye to face Newcastle next weekend.
Of the current squad, Nicho Hynes and Teig Wilton have both filled in as captain in recent seasons.
Since arriving at the club in 2022, Craig Fitzgibbon has not started any other current player at lock in a premiership game, with Parramatta recruit Jack Williams replacing McInnes in the past.
Hohepa Puru appears an option to come into the starting side from the bench, while Toby Rudolf played most of the 2021 season at lock.
Jesse Colquhoun is another option.
AAP
