Cameron McInnes wouldn’t be surprised to see the NRL deny Cronulla a home final at Shark Park, warning players were now used to head office making rule changes "at the drop of a hat".
Out of form on the eve of finals, the fifth-placed Sharks are nevertheless guaranteed to host a week-one elimination match against one of South Sydney, North Queensland or Newcastle.
But the finals suitability of dilapidated Shark Park, the NRL's lowest-capacity regular venue at 15,000 seats, has been a discussion point in recent years.
The NRL pockets ticket sales from finals games so would take a financial hit from hosting in the Shire rather than Allianz Stadium or Accor Stadium, which each have more than twice the capacity.
Shark Park has been deemed unfit for use in week two or three of the finals, but hosted week-one finals matches in 2022, 2023 and 2025.
The NRL is unlikely to publicly confirm venues until after round 27 finishes this Sunday, and told clubs in the pre-season it had the discretion to determine where finals games were played.
The possibility of a playing elsewhere did not sit well with England-bound McInnes, who could be playing his last game at Shark Park against Melbourne this Saturday.
"I was under the impression the rule was if you earn a home semi, whether you're first or second, or fifth or sixth, you get to play it at your home. Our home is Shark Park," he said.
"I don't know if that was a rule change that they can just put in, but then again, the NRL changes rules all the time.
"Rule changes just happen at the drop of a hat now, don't they? So as a player, you just have to adapt."
The league most recently trialled a change to the kick-off rule in Melbourne's defeat of Brisbane last week, having introduced six-agains, 20/40 kicks, two-point field goals and captain's challenges since the start of the decade.
The NRL has also made less prominent changes to its trainer and interchange policies in that time, as well as reverting to one on-field referee per game.
"How much do you need to change? I understand at the end of the day, it's entertainment, I get it," McInnes said.
"But it's like someone's constantly sitting there going, 'The game's going really well, but now let's change something else'."
Inconsistency around ruck infringements was most dismaying to veteran McInnes, who sympathised with the league's match officials.
"When you bring that (six-again rule) in, I get it, to speed the game up and have the speeds to score long-range tries with fatigue, but it also creates an inconsistency in the game," he said.
"(It's) hard for the refs, isn't it? Because it's so subjective.
"If someone gets hit in the face and is offside, that's clear as day, but with the six-agains, it's just sort of a lottery."
