Cameron McInnes will join the Sharks on Monday - but only to train.
The unusual decision can be revealed after St George-Illawarra granted McInnes permission to continue his rehabilitation from an ACL knee injury with vehement rivals Cronulla - the club he‘s joining in 2022.
The agreement between both the Dragons and Sharks is a by-product of the NRL‘s decision to move 13 clubs to Queensland.
The NRL placed a cap of 41 players and staff to travel to Queensland and the Dragons included their lead physiotherapist within the travelling party.
Staying back in Sydney, McInnes is five months into his rehabilitation and recovery from a torn ACL suffered last February.
The 27-year-old is progressing well, but rather than have McInnes continue to train alone, the Sharks approached the Dragons to take over his recovery.
Cronulla kept one of their physiotherapists, Dave Garrick, back in Sydney to work with both their injured players and those who weren’t included within the move to Queensland.
It means that McInnes will train with Sharks captain Wade Graham (concussion, knee), Jackson Ferris (foot), Franklin Pele (foot) and Nene Macdonald and Josh Dugan for the first time on Monday.
The rehabilitation switch has been approved by the NRL, notably their head of biosecurity.
McInnes has been permitted to move from one NRL club bubble to another club bubble, based on the Sharks having their own rehabilitation facilities within their privately owned Shark Park stadium.
The Dragons will continue to pay McInnes his 2021 salary with the Sharks agreeing to step-in and cover any financial costs should the hugely talented hooker or lock-forward suffer a setback unrelated to his ACL recovery.
The Dragons captain signed a four-year deal with the Sharks in February - only to suffer his serious knee injury while training 10-days later.