Official Thomas Hazelton

Gards said:

Most of our forwards had to spend the majority of their minutes tackling opposed to running the ball

Hazo made alot of them but had a couple bad misses - not alone in that regard. Bloke hasn't even played a full NRL season yet

When you have a game like yesterday handing over possession set after set you could have a forward pack of tackle bots and you would still lose anyway

But when a forward like Hazo can get some consistent ball in good positions he is a difference maker

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Sir Chadley said:

I love Tommy. I think he is brilliant. Love what he brings to the team and the energy he has.

I think he can do better though. Of course this will come with experience but I think he has the potential to break the line on more occasions and I'd like to see him run onto the pill more often with a full head of steam.

He's scored a few tries close to the line and I think if he does give himself more of a run up, he'll score even more.

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Sir Chadley said:

I love Tommy. I think he is brilliant. Love what he brings to the team and the energy he has.

I think he can do better though. Of course this will come with experience but I think he has the potential to break the line on more occasions and I'd like to see him run onto the pill more often with a full head of steam.

He's scored a few tries close to the line and I think if he does give himself more of a run up, he'll score even more.

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BurgoShark said:

I agree. Fantastic potential, but definitely still has plenty to learn.

The line break and try-scoring thing was discussed a few pages back. I'd say most of these are from good line running and a nice pass from Cam rather than from busting tackles. I think he goes much better when McInnes is on the field than not, and I reckon there is an effort from Fitz to get them out there together as often as he practically can.

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Tiger Shark said:

With Dale back next year where does Tommy stand in getting a top 17 spot

Locked in, and assuming healthy which given our history this year is no sure thing

• Toby and Uele as starting props you'd assume
• Cam at lock / Dale on the bench -or vice versa but hopefully not
• Williams who's been our best forward
• That leaves 2 spots on the bench with Hunt, Kaufusi, Hazelton and JC. I will add I'd be interested to see Dykes get the 14 jersey but maybe he'll play for the Jets and develop his skills at 5/8th or fullback ?

I think Fitz has Hunt ahead of Hazelton, and maybe Kaufusi too ?

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Tiger Shark said:

With Dale back next year where does Tommy stand in getting a top 17 spot

Locked in, and assuming healthy which given our history this year is no sure thing

• Toby and Uele as starting props you'd assume
• Cam at lock / Dale on the bench -or vice versa but hopefully not
• Williams who's been our best forward
• That leaves 2 spots on the bench with Hunt, Kaufusi, Hazelton and JC. I will add I'd be interested to see Dykes get the 14 jersey but maybe he'll play for the Jets and develop his skills at 5/8th or fullback ?

I think Fitz has Hunt ahead of Hazelton, and maybe Kaufusi too ?

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BurgoShark said:

Those five are blokes in the team no questions asked.

Imo Fitz picks a healthy Kaufusi ahead of both Hunt and Hazelton, but you could pick between those other two depending on role. Imo Royce is a perfect guy to have on a 4 forward bench because you are going to get maximum intensity in very short bursts.

Minutes is always the #1 stat for me. The coach has access to mountains to analytics, video and full time staff member to interpret it all... and the amount of minutes a guy plays under normal circumstances is the best indicator of what role the coach sees that player filling.

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HaroldBishop said:

I think one of Hunt/Tommy has to be on the bench regardless of if we have a four forward bench, or not.

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HaroldBishop said:

Yeah hard to keep Hunt out if he keeps up his recent form. Consistency has always been his issue though so who knows.

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HaroldBishop said:

I think one of Hunt/Tommy has to be on the bench regardless of if we have a four forward bench, or not.

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BurgoShark said:

Yeah - that's what I said. One of those guys is #16, and the other might might miss out depending on the preference for that spot. Hasn't been an issue this year really, since they've always had at least 2 missing since about round 4.

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HaroldBishop said:

You said if a four forward bench?

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From Goulburn to game-breaker: Meet Cronulla's new cult hero

Last year a curly-haired, surfy Nicho Hynes was the face of the Shire; today it’s the big, bald prop from Goulburn.

www.nrl.com

“Get on and play halfback, bring Nicho off”.

That’s what life’s like for Cronulla’s cult hero Tom Hazelton.

Last year a curly-haired, surfer, Dally M-winner called Nicho Hynes was the face of the Shire. This year, it's looking a big, bald prop from Goulburn.

Sharks enforcer Hazelton should be somewhat of an unknown rookie ahead of Saturday's elimination final against the Roosters – having played just 18 NRL games – but when the 24-year-old runs onto Shark Park, Cronulla fans will be screaming his name from the stands.

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“I don’t really know where it's [the cult following] come from, it’s got to be the bald head and the tape more than anything,” Hazelton laughed with NRL.com.

“But I love playing here and if me coming on gives the crowd a bit of energy and gives the team a bit of a lift, I'm all for it.

“When I come sit on the bench, the crowd does start going off a bit but all I can think about then is getting onto the field and making an impact when I get out there.

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“That side of it is quite funny.”

Just five years ago Hazelton was running around for the Goulburn Bulldogs and looking to start a building apprenticeship.

But after local rugby league legend Gavin Miller convinced Hazelton to trial for the Sharks' Jersey Flegg team, the no-fuss forward began to dream of life as an NRL player.

“Gavin rang up Grant Jones, the recruitment guy here at the time, and they got me a trial. I signed a pre-Christmas contract after that,” Hazelton said.

“I was playing first-grade back home and I got the call up after the trial and I was a bit taken back by it at the start. I always loved playing footy but I never thought of it as something I could do as a career.”

While the fans go crazy for him, Hazelton’s country ways have also rubbed off on his teammates with fellow prop Toby Rudolf enjoying watching the rookie's development this season.

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While Rudolf revealed the real secret behind the iconic bald head, he said Hazelton is not only a favourite for the fans but amongst his teammates too.

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“He is one of my favourites here at the Sharks, whenever I see him in the morning it’s always an energetic handshake,” Rudolf said.

“I love him because he’s a country boy with a heart of gold.

"But I think the fact that he’s six foot seven, he’s got bald hair and he tapes his head is why everyone gets around him. The fans gravitate towards something different and Tom’s just a whole lot of different.

“He tried to go the hair tablet route and then he looked in the mirror one day and just said ‘this is not me’, so he shaved it off and Fitzy has (Fitzgibbon) loved it ever since.

“He’s put together a very strong first season in the NRL and I don’t think finals will be any different for him.”

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Hazelton will take his career full circle when he lines up against Trent Robinson’s Tricolours, the same side he debuted against in Round 12 last year.

Almost 12 months later, the impact prop returned to Cronulla's first-grade side, stringing together 17 games this season and cementing a spot in the team each week.

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“After your first game all you want to do is keep playing NRL but we have a really quality forward pack and when you're in a position like I was it’s about opportunity and you never want to see anyone get injured but that's where my opportunities came from,” Hazelton said.

“It didn't happen for me last year but I played the first few rounds in NSW Cup this year and got my opportunity and it's been really good just to string a few games together.

“So I've just got to keep showing up and nine times out of 10 it's just a normal hit up and nothing happens, but I just want to make sure I'm in the right spots at the right time to be there if something does open up.

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“His brain, footy wise, is something like I've never seen and the way that he can manipulate a defensive line to create space for me obviously helps a lot as well.

“Nicho will be the real face of the Shire for a long time.”

“I’m lucky we have guys in the forward pack that are really good at either short passing or creating space and then off the back of that you have Nicho.

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