After 18 months without a game, a relieved Cameron McInnes now faces a second in the space of five days as Cronulla take on his former club St George Illawarra on Thursday.
McInnes hadn't played an NRL game since the end of the 2020 season after tearing his ACL in March last year and then suffering an issue with his meniscus in the same knee last month, which forced him to go under the knife once again.
He got through 25 minutes off the bench in Cronulla's round two win over Parramatta on Saturday and is expecting to see more game time when the Sharks face the Dragons in Wollongong.
"It's been a long time coming and that first run was good to get out of the way then it was like I'd never been away," he said.
"It was frustrating because I noticed it (the meniscus) in September last year and then it stirred up on the eve of the trial.
"The meniscus tearing after being stitched up happens to one in three people. Gratefully I only missed one (NRL) game.
"I had a bit of tunnel vision out there but that's expected and the more I play I think I'll see (opportunities) a bit more."
With McInnes finding his way back to full fitness, there will be intrigue in how rookie Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon rotates the 28-year-old alongside hooker Blayke Brailey and lock Dale Finucane.
McInnes can play lock or hooker but said he was more likely to inject himself into the game to take advantage of tiring defences and backed Brailey as an 80-minute No.9.
After so long without a game McInnes now faces a short turnaround to and said he won't allow himself to get caught up in the attention of facing his former side.
"Being back and playing footy and adding to the team trumps any of that," he said.
"It'll be great to play against the Dragons but it's great to play any game for me right now.
"The roster down there has changed so much, so as much as you're playing the colours a lot of people have moved on.
"They've done well in the first two rounds and derbies always are a big game and I'll be on the other side of that this time."
