Nicho Hynes has a message for his critics: haters gonna hate.
The $6 million halfback has defended his limited role in the Sharks’ drought-breaking finals win over the Cowboys on Saturday.
Hynes played second fiddle to unheralded No. 6 Braydon Trindall who starred in the victory that booked Cronulla’s first preliminary final since 2018.
Hynes, 28, returned from an ankle injury ahead of schedule three weeks ago, but he said there are no lingering effects and emphasised he wasn’t about to come back into the side and mess with a winning formula.
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“The plan was to come back and do my role for the team, the boys were going really well and playing great footy and I shouldn’t come back in and try to demand everything and run the team and interrupt how we were playing,” Hynes said.
“If (Trindall) is kicking really well and doing a good job of leading us around then if I came in and tried to fight with him to get that role back then it’s not doing justice for the team, so it’s just about balance now and balancing out our performance.
“Tricky kicking probably brings my running game back into play so it’s all about balance and what is best for the team and I’m happy for him to shine if we’re still getting wins.
“The most important stat is winning the game and if he’s dominating then that doesn’t matter (if I’m not the chief playmaker).”
Hynes stormed to a surprise victory at the 2022 Dally M Medal and off the back of it signed a five-year extension worth $6 million.
But the success brought intense scrutiny and Hynes’ game hasn’t always been able to handle that pressure on the big stage.
He’s been dropped by New South Wales after losses in the State of Origin series opener for the past two years in a row and he famously didn’t get any game time off the bench in the Storm’s 2020 grand final victory.
Hynes bounced back to make his Kangaroos debut, but the Origin axings in particular dented his confidence, which impacted his club form.
However after four straight finals losses at the Sharks, Hynes did enough to help his side into a blockbuster preliminary final against the Panthers this Saturday.
“The monkey (is off our back). We didn’t speak about it a hell of a lot but it was there, it was present, so it feels nice,” Hynes said.
Hynes silences critics as Trindall STARS | 01:45
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“We’ve worked so hard to put ourselves in position to win these finals games. It’s more I’m just proud we’re one win away from a grand final.
“The outside noise and critics, they’re going to come and go throughout all our careers and throughout this week again they’re going to come and go.
“I just wanted to put in a good performance for my team. We wanted to prove to each other more than anyone else that we’ve earned the right to be here.
“I feel like this club has been through a lot and at times I’ve been through a lot, winning any games means a lot but especially at finals.
“Now to be so close, within touching distance of a grand final, it means a lot.”
Foxsports.com.au asked Hynes why he thinks he’s the most scrutinised player in the NRL.
“I actually don’t know. You’d probably have to ask your colleagues and everyone around you (in the media),” he said.
“(But) when you win an award like that (Dally M Medal) and you sign a long-term contract, it’s just natural that it comes and it’s going to come throughout my career.
“You’ve just got to embrace it and take the good with the bad, don’t ride the highs too high and don’t ride the lows too low and just deal with it.
“I’m not worried about it, I’ve got a good healthy life, I’ve got really good people around me. My life isn’t defined by an 80-minute game of football.
“I’ll keep going about my business every day, working hard so that I can put my team in a position to try and win through to a grand final.”
Hynes’ biggest supporter through the tough times has been Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon, who has defended his No. 7 at every turn.
“Ever since the first conversation I had with him when I was looking to sign here, he just had so much belief in me and I just knew everything he was about was something I wanted to be a part of,” Hynes said.
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“Since day one he’s shown his faith in me and I can’t thank him enough. I just want to put in a performance (this weekend) that repays the faith he’s shown in me.”
Hynes is also immensely popular with his teammates who revealed the club’s highest-paid star is also the first to shout the bill.
“He’s definitely a No. 7, a bit pesky as they are and get under peoples skin, but he’s an all-round great guy,” prop Toby Rudolph told foxsports.com.au.
“He brings great energy around the club, is very positive and he’s paid the big bucks but he’s a very generous man.
“He shouts coffees, he shouts breakfast, he shouts pubs, he shouts the pub, he shouts the lot. I love having him in my team and I’m grateful to call him a friend.
“Winning the Dally M back in 2022, he almost set the bar so high back then that it’s very hard to play in that fashion forever.”
Trindall told foxsports.com.au that the most impressive thing about his superstar halves partner is what he does off the field.
“He’s awesome, Nicho. He’s a great footy player but he’s an even better person,” Trindall said.
“I’ve learnt a lot from Nicho over the years, coming from Melbourne he’s been in a good system, he knows the ins and outs and just loves footy so much.
“He’s just a really good person and good club man.”
Cronulla’s cult hero Tom Hazelton added: “We all love him here and believe in him and trust him. It’s really good to have him back in the team and he’s just as excited as the rest of us for Saturday night.”
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