Cronulla Sharks forward leader Cameron McInnes has suffered a suspected ACL injury.
While the dreaded ACL injury wasn’t initially reported, multiple outlets after the game have suggested scans will confirm just that.
Coming from the field during the game, it was reported as instability with concerns of a serious injury. The hands-on test for an ACL injury is usually very accurate.
A full ACL rupture, if confirmed, would leave McInnes out for a period of between 9 and 12 months, ending his 2025 season, and also putting him in doubt for a chunk of 2026.
Nine months – the earliest return window for the injury – would see him able to return in mid-May, around Round 10 of next season.
Sydney Roosters star halfback Sam Walker had a similar return timeline after his Round 26 injury last year, although other setbacks delayed his NRL comeback.
For McInnes, it would be the second ACL of his career, having previously missed the 2021 season when he was with the St George Illawarra Dragons.
Coach Craig Fitzgibbon, speaking after the game against the Titans, was tight-lipped on the extent of the injury, but admitted it ‘wasn’t looking good’.
“Not looking good,” Fitzgibbon said.
“I tell you what it will be, it will be a chance for someone else to step up as a leader.
“He’s fine. His emotional bank account has two cents in it. He said point-blank, he’s fine.”
The veteran forward is one of Cronulla’s most important players, particularly in defence.
In his absence throughout Saturday’s game, his side came away with a 54 points to 22 win over the Titans to get things back on track after dropping two points to the Dragons the week before.
While Cronulla are still odds-on to make the finals, the jury is still out on what they will be actually able to produce in September, and there is little doubt an injury to McInnes will only serve to make things tougher.
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