Cameron McInnes to Pursue ‘Clarity’ from NRL Following Rejection of Captain’s Challenge

Sharks captain Cameron McInnes is seeking clarification from the NRL following his team’s denied captain’s challenge in their match against the Panthers.

This incident occurred with just 16 minutes remaining, while the Sharks were behind with a score of 24-16.

During the second tackle, McInnes was brought down by Matt Eisenhuth and Moses Leota, with the referee repeatedly calling for a surrender before the ball was dislodged.

Referee Ashley Klein ruled it a knock-on, but McInnes desired to contest the decision. Klein, however, informed him that a challenge was not permitted.

Commentator Andrew Johns expressed his confusion over the situation.

“What’s the explanation here?” Johns remarked on Nine.

After the game, McInnes expressed his intention to approach the NRL for further details.

“I’m keen to get some clarity on this because the communication around the surrender call was a bit unclear to me, especially as there were multiple surrender calls during the match,” he stated in his post-game press conference.

“He indicated that I wasn’t allowed to challenge, which I wasn’t aware of; I thought any play could be contested, so I’d appreciate some clarification on that.”

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Cronulla Sharks head coach Craig Fitzgibbon supported his captain’s comments.

“I simply thought that if the referee ruled that way, it should constitute a break in play, and therefore it should be eligible for a challenge. We’ll sort this out,” Fitzgibbon said.

“It turned out to be a significant moment.”