Sharks five-eighth Braydon Trindall admits he “100 per cent” thought he was facing the sack earlier this season.
But the club stood by him when Trindall failed roadside tests for both drugs and alcohol and now he’s repaying their faith in spades.
Trindall delivered a man-of-the-match performance against the Cowboys on Saturday night to deliver Cronulla’s first finals win since 2018.
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The 25-year-old playmaker is coming into his own as a late bloomer and his $300,000 salary is set to at least double.
Trindall said he’d love to stay at the Sharks but revealed he’ll also be testing his value on the open market when he becomes a free agent in six weeks.
“Yeah I’m heading to November 1 but we’ll see how the manager goes with his talks with the club,” Trindall told foxsports.com.au.
“We just put it aside after the drama halfway through the year.
“I’d love to stay here. I love the boys, I love the club. Hopefully I’m starting to repay them with some good performances.”
The “drama” happened in April when Trindall was stopped by police on his way to training on a Monday morning and recorded a mid-range alcohol reading of 0.125 as well as a positive test for an illicit substance.
Trindall was banned from driving for three months and sat out five matches while he “got the help I needed”.
He returned in Round 13 and is now in red-hot form at the business end of the season as the Sharks chief playmaker ahead of Nicho Hynes.
Trindall banned himself from gaming rooms in pubs statewide and quit alcohol for several months to focus purely on football.
“I had a bit of a tough time there… yeah 100 per cent I was worried there (I’d get sacked), but the club backed me and I just want to repay them by playing some good footy,” he said.
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“I just put (my turnaround) down to preparation. I wanted to get back and prepare well and earn the trust back of the boys in the squad here and hopefully I’m doing that.
“I was off the drink for two months there but didn’t really want to go cold turkey on it. Still wanted to enjoy celebrations like weddings and stuff. I just wanted to get myself back to a stage where I could enjoy a nice casual drink.
“I’m feeling really fit at the moment, you need to be fit playing these big games.”
Sharks coach Fitzgibbon Craig Fitzgibbon said the off-field saga was a turning point for Trindall.
“It really hurt him, for obvious reasons and so it should have.
“Once again, he took responsibility for that and he’s done nothing other than try and repay the team.
“He’s a bubbly infectious guy and he gives you a certain energy. He’s calm, he’s confident and he’s a wonderful player. He’s in his infancy too, he’s only just getting started.”
Trindall revealed that Fitzgibbon wants his players to be better people than footballers.
“When Fitzy first came here he told me he wanted to make me a better person before he made me a better footy player,” he said.
“I think he’s really done that and he’s done that with a lot of lads here, he’s been awesome.”
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Trindall said the game plan would stay the same in that he’d again play more of a halfback role this Saturday in the preliminary final against the Panthers.
“It was really good to put in a good performance (against the Cowboys), good team effort and all the boys are excited for this weekend,” he said.
“All the boys played well which gave me the confidence to go out there and do what I did.
“Same game plan as last week, just kick well and defend well. These big games are all about field position so we need to control that.
“We’re just really excited. We’ve earnt to be in this position and the boys are really looking forward to it.”
Trindall toiled in reserve grade for years at the Newtown Jets before being handed the No. 6 jersey last year and he’s made it his own.
“It’s been a long journey but it kind of feels like yesterday I first started out here at Cronulla and it’s been going on seven years now,” he said.
Hynes said it was “awesome to watch” Trindall against the Cowboys and emphasised he’s more than happy to let him take the chief playmaking role if it means they’re winning.
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“We’ve always known he can play like that, it was just about getting him consistent and in a routine and coming to training every day and nailing his role,” Hynes said.
“He had a tough start to the year with what happened off field and he’s paying us back now with what he’s doing on the field and how he’s preparing.
“I’m really proud and happy for him and hopefully he can do it again this weekend.”
Sharks prop Toby Rudolf played alongside Trindall at the Jets and said it was awesome to see Trindall finally play to his potential.
“It’s so pleasing to see, especially after seeing him in the Jets team running against us for so many years before now,” Rudolf told foxsports.com.au.
“We always saw the potential he had and there was a worry he wouldn’t be able to reach his potential at this club, and then last year he got the promotion and he’s been our starting No. 6 ever since.
“To see how far he’s come, to see his progression, with or without the shit that happened in the middle of the year, it’s so amazing to see.”
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