NRL 2022: Cronulla Sharks’ Cameron McInnes to miss first month of season with injuries
The Sharks will take the wraps off star recruits Dale Finucane and Nicho Hynes in their final trial, which will help ease the blow of losing a key signing for the opening rounds of the NRL.
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The unfurling of premiership-winning forward Dale Finucane at Cronulla has never been more important with teammate and fellow recruit Cameron McInnes unavailable for the opening rounds of the season.
In a bitter blow for the former St George Illawarra captain, McInnes will be out of action for the next four weeks after undergoing a minor operation on the same knee that required reconstructive surgery last year.
Scans taken earlier this week revealed McInnes required a minor “clean out” of his meniscus after pulling up sore from training.
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Finucane will wear the No.13 jumper for the Sharks.
He and former Melbourne Storm teammate Nicho Hynes will step out for the first time for Cronulla after being named to face the Bulldogs in a pre-season trial match at Pointsbet Stadium on Monday night.
Hynes has been named at halfback alongside Braydon Trindall, who is ineligible for rounds one and two of the season due to suspension.
Sharks captain Wade Graham has also been named to play his first game in over six months.
Revered for his work ethic and diligence towards training, McInnes was on track to make his comeback from ACL surgery last year and debut in round one for the Sharks against the Raiders on March 11.
However, the injury setback will delay the 28-year-old’s start to the 2022 season.
Having enjoyed a trouble-free pre-season, five-eighth Matt Moylan has been rested from the trial against a strong Bulldogs line-up and saved for the opening round.
Bunny comes clean on ‘bad days’ of injury nightmare
South Sydney’s forward stocks have taken a hit ahead of the club’s season opener against Brisbane with Liam Knight set to miss at least the first four rounds of 2022.
The Daily Telegraph can reveal Knight had three off-season surgeries after battling with concussion issues for most of last year.
It comes as Knight lifted the lid on the “bad days’’ he suffered through after missing the Rabbitohs’ grand final loss because of concussion.
Knight initially went under the knife for hip surgery in late October but club medical staff also decided to fix troublesome ankle and shoulder injuries as well with respective clean-outs.
“I don’t think I’ll be right for round one. I like to tell our physio I will. It just riles him up a little bit but conservatively we are looking at round four or five because of the surgeries I had in the off-season,” Knight told The Daily Telegraph.
“I just want to get myself right. I don’t want to do what I did last year and end up sitting on the sidelines.
Knight can hardly be blamed for taking the cautious approach to his recovery from the surgeries given ongoing concussion symptoms limited him to just 11 games last season.
Knight first suffered the concussion following a head clash with Tom Burgess during pre-season training more than 12 months ago.
He admitted to downplaying the severity of the head knock at the time in a desperate bid to be named for round one.
But ongoing symptoms and advice from neurologists eventually forced him to miss the first five rounds. He then missed another five games at the back end of the season after a head knock against Canterbury in round 18.
While a suspension rubbed out Knight in the last round and week one of the finals, it was persistent concussion issues that eventually led to him missing a spot in Wayne Bennett’s grand final outfit that went down to Penrith.
“It’s hard to put into words, I was genuinely sad, upset about missing the grand final,” Knight said. “But I refused to go to that game moping around. I was so happy for my team, I love my team. I wanted to be there to experience their happiness.
“It sounds like a bullshit cliche line but it’s the truth. For me, even after the season, I was upset about it. I had some bad days. I was gutted we lost.
“Last year was a test, it probably wasn’t the best year of my life. But I’m grateful I got to stay on the Gold Coast and be around a team that was winning games and the experience.
At the height of his battle with concussion Knight said the constant headaches ‘knocked him around’ but it was the sense of isolation from the playing group that proved to be the toughest challenge.
“I was irritable, I had headaches too. I’m not the best sleeper anyway but I wasn’t sleeping well,” Knight said.
“I like to be moving all the time so to slow down, watch your team train hard, rip in and not be allowed to do any of it, that was the worst part for me.
“But I feel 100 per cent now. Thankfully after the season finished I had no lingering symptoms and that has given me a lot of confidence.”
Now that Knight has turned a corner, the 27-year-old is hoping to stay on the field and do all he can to help deliver the Rabbitohs to another grand final appearance.
“The detachment from the game [grand final] hurt me so much, you don’t play football to be by yourself and miss out on moments you train so hard for,” Knight said.
“So definitely my motivation to train every session, play every game and be a part of the moments and contribute to what this team is trying to achieve. That’s my goal this year.”
Before concussion derailed Knight’s 2021 campaign, the backrower was a mainstay in Bunnies outfit and played 23 games in 2019 and 19 in 2020.
Dogs unleash Foxx, triple Dragons blow
The Bulldogs will unleash new recruit Josh Addo-Carr for the first time.
The marquee recruit is expected to start on the wing for Canterbury when they play the Sharks on Monday night.
Addo-Carr was rested for the Bulldogs opening trial against Newcastle but he could be joined by the likes of Matt Burton for Canterbury’s final hit out of the pre-season.
“It will be good to put the new colours on,” Addo-Carr said. “I’ve loved my time at Belmore. The fans have been awesome.”
Dragons to sit Sims for Shield
St George Illawarra veteran Tariq Sims has been ruled of the annual Charity Shield clash because of a calf complaint.
The injury is not expected to sideline Sims long-tern but will mean he will head into the season opener against the Warriors without a pre-season match.
The Dragons will also be without Max Feagai and Jayden Sullivan while Moses Mbye is also battling a minor injury.
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