Cam McInnes feared he’d ruptured his ACL. He went even harder into the next tackle

Cronulla captain Cam McInnes feared he had ruptured his ACL on Saturday, but to be sure, he raced out of the defensive line a second time, praying his knee would not buckle again.

One of the NRL’s toughest players was seen clutching at his right knee after making a tackle midway through the first half of the match against the Gold Coast.

Two plays later, McInnes is seen charging into Titans’ prop Moeaki Fotuaika, only to hobble back and signal to the sideline that he was in trouble.

The 31-year-old’s season is over, and he admits for the first time he is apprehensive about what awaits him, given he is off contract at the end of next season.

McInnes will meet with the knee surgeon on Wednesday, and he did his best to remain upbeat when contacted by this masthead on Monday.

“I did my left knee in early 2021, I missed that season, I understand how the knees work, and once my knee buckled on the weekend, I knew it could have been my ACL,” McInnes said.

“I’ve also done my MCL a few times, and was hoping maybe I had stirred up some scar tissue.

“There was only one way to find out what I had done, so I thought to myself, ‘I’ll race out of the line and see how I go’.

“I’ll try and put a shot on, and if the knee can handle the impact, I’ll be right. If it buckles again, I’m in trouble. It buckled.

“There was no point trying to protect it and play within myself. I wanted to play the way I wanted to play, and if my knee couldn’t handle it, at least I’d know. That was my thinking.

“The Titans got a six-again, so I had to stay on the field, and all I could do was get my body in the way and fill some space.”

McInnes said the enforced time on the sidelines would also allow a neck injury to recover. He compressed a nerve in round 11. That has left him suffering regular numbness in both arms. Cortisone injections and painkillers were keeping him on the field.

The lock forward is seen as the heart and soul of the Sharks, similar to the presence club favourites Dale Finucane and Paul Gallen once had. But, given his age and having just suffered a second serious knee injury, McInnes hopes the setback does not impact his chances of remaining with Cronulla beyond 2026.

The new Perth franchise would welcome a player like McInnes, who drives standards at training – he once dislodged a screw from teammate Ronaldo Mulitalo’s jaw during a wrestling session – but his young family is settled in Cronulla.

“I wouldn’t say I’m worried about my future, but I understand how things work, and at the age I’m at, and with people wondering about my body, I’ll need to prove myself,” McInnes said.

“I would have done that anyway. I’ve never been a believer in reputation; you have to earn everything, and I’ll do that. I want to play footy, and still feel like I’ve got a left in me, despite what some people might say.

“It sucks I’m done for the year, but the club is in a great position to win this year. We’ve got so much talent in our squad, and I’ve seen the hunger and focus and understanding of what it takes to go all the way.”

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