Cameron McInnes’ vow to Dragons after signing with Sharks
Cameron McInnes is leaving the Dragons in 2022 for local rivals Cronulla. But he’s not giving up on the Dragons just yet.
NRL
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Cameron McInnes has declared he’s committed to the Dragons in 2021 — but admits he could lose the club captaincy after signing with rivals Cronulla.
“When Hook (coach Anthony Griffin) came in, he just said to all of us players in the leadership group, captaincy and what not, let’s just rip into training and start to build something and we’ll talk about that when footy comes,’’ McInnes said on Wednesday in Wollongong.
“We haven’t had those discussions yet.
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“I’d love to be captain, but if the club needs to go in another direction for the future, I completely understand.
“I’ll be doing whatever I can to help that person and just be a leader in my own right.’’
McInnes also rejected any suggestion it was his close alliance with previous Dragons coach Paul McGregor that provoked his exit to the Sharks.
“That couldn’t be further from the truth,’’ McInnes said.
“(I had been) with the Origin squad (last year), I wasn’t able to be back at training until after Christmas.
“But since I’ve been back I’ve absolutely loved being back at training and what he (Griffin) and the staff have brought to the club and what they’re building.
“His toughness is something that I really admire.
“I’ll squash all that right now, we have a great relationship that is still building and I’d like to continue building it throughout the year.”
McInnes reaffirmed his desire to wear the Red-V in 2021 - even if veteran Broncos hooker Andrew McCullough was to join the club.
“I want the club to be successful so if Andrew McCullough was to come and he could add his experience to the team, his toughness, he’s played for Queensland and played in grands finals, so I’d welcome that for sure.
“In terms of playing hooker or lock, I don’t care.
“To be honest, I’ve signed with the Sharks as a lock.
“I wouldn’t be going there for four years if I wasn’t happy to play that position, so if the Dragons want me to play lock, I’m ready for that.
“I just want to win. And if Andrew McCullough came, he will help us do that.”
WADE GRAHAM CALL THAT LURED McINNES
Cameron McInnes’ future as Dragons captain could be in jeopardy after shocking the NRL by signing with neighbouring rivals Cronulla.
A stealth-like pursuit of the NSW Origin squad member over the past three months has delivered the Sharks a massive coup.
The Sharks’ $2.1 million four-year deal has prized McInnes out of Wollongong for the 2022 season and beyond — but it could come at a personal cost in the interim.
Despite being the Dragons club captain and player of the year for the past two seasons, McInnes’ decision has cast an immediate cloud over his captaincy of the Red V for this season. There are senior elements within the club that began raising questions over the 27-year-old’s leadership status as soon as the news of McInnes plans broke.
The problem for new Dragons coach Anthony Griffin is his depth of quality leaders within his roster is thin, with Ben Hunt, Tariq Sims and Trent Merrin the only obvious candidates.
Just how the Sharks snuck under the guard of the Dragons and the most interested party, the Wests Tigers, to sign McInnes, is what surprised many within the game.
Given McInnes’ qualities as a recognised hooker, most had discarded Cronulla as being an option for the 130-gamer due to the Sharks’ investment in promising young dummy-half Blayke Brailey.
But the Sharks weren’t interested in signing McInnes as a No.9. They saw him as a major asset both as a lock middle-forward, with his incredibly high workrate and durability suited to the NRL‘s rapid-fire rule changes, as well as his abundant leadership qualities.
It can be revealed that the Sharks recruitment team led by GM of football Darren Mooney and Sharks coach John Morris met with McInnes and his agent Steve Gillis at a private room at Kareela golf club last December. Follow-up phone calls from Sharks captain Wade Graham and Clive Churchill medallist Luke Lewis were hugely influential in reaffirming the culture of the footy club while also alleviating any obvious concerns that McInnes had over the uncertainty of Morris’ future beyond this season.
“Cameron was a member of Brad Fittler’s Origin squad last year, he has exceptional competitive instincts, is an outstanding leader and we believe he will be a great acquisition for our club,” Mooney said Tuesday.
The Sharks said at “no stage” through their negotiations with the Saints skipper was an immediate move to the Shire discussed.
The Dragons’ inability to retain McInnes — in the midst of their anticipated signing of veteran Broncos hooker Andrew McCullough within the next fortnight — has left a sour taste in the mouths of many Red V fans who took to social media to vent their frustration at management.
Dragons GM of football Ben Haran suggested McInnes remained part of the club’s plans for 2021 despite him committing his future elsewhere.
“We were well aware throughout our discussions with Cameron and his management that he wanted his future sorted prior to the season commencement,” Haran said. “There’s always a process to contractual negotiations, but with our club going through a significant transition it’s fair to say that Cameron and the club were working on different timeframes.
“We understood why he wanted his future sorted immediately, which has since led to Cameron and his family securing an opportunity elsewhere.
“Cameron is a quality player and person who has brought a lot to St George Illawarra since arriving in 2017, and we’re looking forward to him again playing a huge role in his final season at the club.”
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