‘Well, I’ve still got all my teeth’: The Cronulla tyro who’s the anti-Cam McInnes

3 weeks ago 4

Jesse Colquhoun is the first to admit he’s no like-for-like replacement for Cronulla warhorse Cameron McInnes, which suits him just fine.

“Well, I’ve still got all my teeth, so I think I’m doing all right,” Colquhoun said, flashing a set of pearly whites to confirm he has managed to avoid the punishment that has been a trademark of McInnes’ 226-game NRL career.

As well as a missing incisor that always seems to feature prominently in post-match interviews, McInnnes has acquired literally hundreds of stitches in head wounds, leaving Foxtel funnyman Nathan Hindmarsh to label the often-bloodied Cronulla skipper a “Chucky doll” last year.

It’s an occupational hazard for a man who plays each game as if it’s a demolition derby, and who unflinchingly puts himself in harm’s way trying to stop opponents by any means necessary.

Sadly for McInnes, his plan to lead the Sharks into the play-offs was cruelled when he tore his anterior cruciate ligament playing against Gold Coast last month, prompting a season-ending knee reconstruction.

That prompted Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon to promote Colquhoun from the bench to the starting pack, and while the 23-year-old will wear McInnes’ No.13 jersey, he has no intention of trying to emulate his captain’s kamikaze playing style.

“I guess I’d like to be as tough as Cam is, but credit to the coaching staff and all the other boys, they just told me to play my own game,” Colquhoun said.

“They told I you don’t have to be like ‘Macca’, because there’s not many people who can play the way he does. And I think that’s really helped me starting into this role so far.”

Other than the loss of McInnes, the Sharks have been at full strength since they kicked off their finals campaign with a 20-10 triumph against Sydney Roosters last weekend, and they will be intent on doubling down when they face the Raiders in another do-or-die shootout in Canberra on Saturday.

Colquhoun might be the youngest member of Cronulla’s squad, but he feels like he is making up for lost time.

Since making his NRL debut in 2022, at the age of 20, the 1.90-metre, 106-kilogram middle forward has been restricted to 27 top-grade games by a series of foot injuries and a ruptured ACL.

Cronulla workhorse Cameron McInnes is a glutton for punishment.

Yet patience has been a virtue for the Wollongong junior, who won a host of junior grand finals with the Collegians club but didn’t dare dream he could play at professional level.

“I never played any [junior] rep footy,” he said. “I don’t think I was probably good enough at the time to be honest. Whether I slipped under their radar or not, I don’t know.

“There were a lot of good players in my age group, and so I don’t think I was good enough at the time. But I definitely had that dream and aspiration to be playing rep footy, and I was lucky enough that the Sharks offered me an opportunity.”

The chance for which Colquhoun was waiting arrived in the pre-season of 2022, when he attended an open trial for their SG Ball (under-19) squad and was noticed by Blayke Brailey’s father, Glenn.

That led to Sharks head coach Craig Fitzgibbon offering him a foot in the door.

“I had a seven-week train-and-trial in the 2022 pre-season,” Colquhoun recalled. “I knew I only had limited time. Seven weeks, it’s not that long. So I just took everything in my stride.

“Then ‘Fitz’ pulled me into his office and said: ‘We’re looking to extend your weeks to the full pre-season’. And then he just kept pushing it back and back and back.”

Colquhoun lived out his dream a few months later.

“I was lucky enough to debut that year and play four games,” he said. “I guess the rest is history. I’ve had a tough period with injury, but I’ve come out on the other side.”

This season Colquhoun is finally started to establish himself as a top-grade regular, stringing together 16 appearances, the past three in the starting line-up.

Against the Roosters last week, Colquhoun produced a typically understated contribution of 72 attacking metres and 33 tackles during his 39 minutes on the field.

Sharks forward Jesse Colquhoun has overcome some major injuries.

“The last couple of weeks has built a lot of confidence among the playing group,” he said.

“Especially defensively, we’ve knuckled down. We’re working hard for each other, which is the most important thing.”

Besides Colquhoun’s blue-collar toil, there’s another very valid reason he has been the ideal replacement for McInnes - he’s been Cronulla’s lucky charm, from a results perspective.

In his 27 NRL games, the Sharks have won 19 at an impressive strike rate of 70.37 per cent. This year, that improves to 75 per cent (12 wins from 16 games), including their past eight in a row with Colquhoun in the squad.

It’s a hot streak that he’s planning to continue in Canberra on Saturday.

“It’s finals footy, so if you’re not up for it, you’re going home and you’re on holiday,” he said.

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