‘Props don’t win you Grand Finals’: Debate rages over ‘nervous’ Nicho amid Sharks recruit’s arrival

“I think he will take the Sharks and turn them into a contender on the back of what he will do in the middle of the football field.

“On the back of Fonua-Blake’s dominance in the middle, their halves Trindall and Hynes who run very good shape with a very good back five.”

However, Brent Read warned Fonua-Blake can only help take the Sharks so far and it is up to the key playmakers, uncluding Hynes to ice the key moments.

“Props don’t win Grand Finals though, halves win you big games,” Read said.

Gorden Tallis countered that if a prop is good enough he can win you Grand Finals and noted one of his former teammates at the Broncos, which sparked debate with Read.

“Glenn Lazarus was one that won at every club he went to,” Tallis said.

“He had Allan Langer with him, who was a very handy footballer,” Read replied.

“But they didn’t win until Lazarus went there,” Tallis hit back.

However, you only have to look at what Nathan Cleary has done for the Panthers in recent finals series to know how important playmakers are in winning titles.

“Cronulla’s hopes rest on Nicho Hynes,” Read said.

“If Nicho stands up in the finals they are a chance of winning it. Nicho needs a big finals series.”

The knock on Hynes is that he can get flustered when the pressure is on in big games and Tallis believes he can’t be afraid to make mistakes.

“He has got to handle the external pressure,” Tallis said.

“It is just Nicho managing the noise. I reckon that does effect him. He has just got to go out there and play his game.

“He has got to stop worrying about trying to be perfect and just play footy. Every footy player makes mistakes. I think he plays a bit nervous sometimes.”

However, Rothfield believes some of the criticism directed at Hynes has been unfair at times, including from himself.

“I sometimes think the media and I’m guilty too, are a little bit harsh on Nicho,” Rothfield said.

“He was playing well enough for the first dozen rounds of last year’s comp to walk into that NSW State of Origin side.

“Then he got dropped. Then he busted his syndesmosis and missed eight weeks and then came back. It’s criticism, but it is fair criticism.”

But Read believes the focus on Hynes is almost a compliment because it suggests he has the tools to win the Sharks a premiership, if he can stand up in the big moments.

“It’s not bagging Nicho to say, you ultimately decide whether the Sharks win a comp or not,” Read said.

“It’s actually praising him because it is saying Nicho is such a good player and has such an impact on that footy team.

“Addin Fonua-Blake will help him immensely, but ultimately they need Nicho to stand up when it matters.”

The knock on Hynes last season was that he was outplayed by his halves partner Braydon Trindall, who was on a third of his pay packet.

While Trindall and Fonua-Blake will help ease the pressure on Hynes, Tallis agreed that ultimately he has to want to own the big moments in the big games for the Sharks to go all the way.

“I thought Trindall was great at the back half of the year and took a bit of pressure off,” Tallis said.

“I thought they were a bit light on and now they have Fonua-Blake there, but it is whether Nicho Hynes can take the game by the scruff of the neck.”