HYNES INJURY WORRIES SHARKS
SHARKS coach Craig Fitzgibbon says Nicho Hynes’ calf injury will be treated as a “week-by-week proposition” as Cronulla seeks finals redemption without their Dally M halfback.
Hynes will miss Saturday’s soldout game at home to the Rabbitohs with a calf complaint after excelling in the pre-season where he was named man of the match for his performance for the Indigenous All Stars.
The former Storm utility made the most of his massive move to the Shire in 2022 and exceeded everyone’s expectations to take out the Dally M Medal.
Hynes emerged as a clutch player with a couple of telling field goals, including the golden point strike that edged the Sharks past Souths in the corresponding clash last year.
But he won’t get the chance to repeat his heroics this weekend, and there are no guarantees he’ll be back for what shapes as a blockbuster showdown with the Eels next Friday.
“It’s not a huge injury. It’s just in a delicate spot. You’ve got to play the long game a bit there,” Fitzgibbon said.
“He’s a valuable player to the club, and we felt like it was a risk at this stage. It hasn’t happened that long ago, so we’ll have to wait and see. It’ll be a week-by-week proposition, but it’s not a huge injury and we want to get it right so it’s not lingering.”
It’s been a big week for Hynes, who fronted the media on Monday and delivered an emotional press conference in which he defended his mum and spoke of the pain his family is going through ahead of her sentencing over drugs charges.
His maturity and humility has made him one of the most liked players in the game, and his coach says that’s exactly how Hynes is at training.
“What you see is what you get with Nicho, and I think that’s what makes him so popular with everyone,” Fitzgibbon said.
“He’s an open book, that guy. He just walks in and he’s the same guy every day he walks in. He’s happy, he’s working hard, and he’s obviously dealing with stuff to the best of his ability. He’s done a really good job at staying consistent in how he is.
“It’s really hard to put yourself in his shoes – none of us have ever walked through that – but he’s been fantastic for us.”
The Sharks are outsiders now that they’re without their most influential player against the Bunnies, but Fitzgibbon is backing Braydon Trindall to get the job done.
“I wouldn’t say it’s frustrating. I’d suggest it’s an opportunity for Braydon,” said Fitzgibbon, who isn’t focusing on last year when the Rabbitohs knocked Cronulla out in week two of the finals. “He’s had a lot of training time and he’s got a lot of combination time with the players inside and outside of him.”