The week started with people questioning whether Nicho Hynes should still be Cronulla’s halfback, but he proved on Friday that he’s the right man for the job as he and Braydon Trindall combined to snap the Sharks’ seven-game losing streak in the finals.
Hynes has often been the scapegoat for Cronulla’s losses, with legendary playmaker Greg Alexander suggesting on Monday that the Sharks should have considered dropping him after a poor showing against the Storm in the qualifying final.
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The Sharks shot that down immediately and Hynes spent 11 minutes on Tuesday answering plenty of questions about the pressure he’s faced and how he’s dealt with it.
Most importantly, he answered those questions on the field with some classy touches on Friday night as he nailed five shots at goal in his side’s 26-18 win to book a date with the Panthers next week.
Trindall took control of the team with two tries and several highlight plays, with the halves combining better than they have all season after a difficult week for the club where their best player was attacked from all angles.
“We tried to block it all, but it was impossible. Phones were going off everywhere you went,” Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon said.
“How we dealt with it, we just walked in and didn’t shy away from anything at all this week.
“I haven’t seen too many people be able to deal with that and play like that. That’s why we believe in him. I feel he’s a developing player that’s got some elite skills.
“The most pleasing thing was the way that he and ‘Tricky’ played together.”
Hynes silences critics as Trindall STARS | 01:45
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Sharks skipper Cam McInnes has always backed Hynes and doubled down on his praise after the game, declaring no other Sharks player will ever go through what the former Dally M winner has experienced.
“I’m hugely proud of him for the way that he’s handled it,” he said.
“None of us will ever probably go through what he has to.
“The way that he put himself in the team and didn’t care what anyone else was saying (was great) and he just wanted to do the job for us.
“On the flip side, we have to do our job for him. We didn’t do that last week but I felt we did it tonight. We were led by Tricky and Nicho, but I feel like everyone around them did their job as well which is the most important thing.”
The Sharks were brilliant in the first half as they raced out to a 24-0 lead and then had to grind away as the visitors stormed home.
“Super proud” as Trindall & Hynes STAR! | 10:15
That was the most disappointing thing for Cowboys coach Todd Payten who could see a path to victory with how they played after the break, but it proved too much with their defensive issues exposed in the opening 40 minutes.
“We’ve got to evolve, otherwise we’re a middle of the road team,” he lamented.
“We showed some flashiness but we’ve got to bite down on the mouth guard a little harder in the tough parts of the game for longer periods.
“We’ve got some ability, but we can’t pick and choose when you’re doing the hard stuff in the game.”
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