Official Nicho Hynes

vicsharkfan said:
Agree—I thought there were 13 Michell Moses’s out there in sharks colours.. embarrassing if we kind of got close to him may have strengthen our case to overturn it
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Yeah. It made it look like it was a planned move (maybe it was) and the optics were really bad.
 
Jaz said:
Agree he's gun shy, but he can't do it alone. You can tell that half the time when he's looking to spark something, the rest of the team are standing on their heels, just watching. How often does he end up taking a tackle because no one has even bothered to run with him?

Imagine we had a fullback like Papy always following and calling for the ball. Suddenly Hynes looks 10x more dangerous.

(Not trying to blame Will by the way, the whole team is guilty of ball watching. Just an example.)
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I thought Nikora didn't help him in the second half. In the first half Nikora kept running holes on the outside allowing Hynes to out him through at ease.

Then in the second half he started crabbing back in again (when the defence was expecting it), causing Nicho to having to take the tackle etc.
 
Jaz said:
Agree he's gun shy, but he can't do it alone. You can tell that half the time when he's looking to spark something, the rest of the team are standing on their heels, just watching. How often does he end up taking a tackle because no one has even bothered to run with him?

Imagine we had a fullback like Papy always following and calling for the ball. Suddenly Hynes looks 10x more dangerous.

(Not trying to blame Will by the way, the whole team is guilty of ball watching. Just an example.)
Click to expand...
And how often does Nicho put someone into space late only to be dragged down by an awesome tackle when 15 minutes earlier one of their guys walked through 4 of ours with their little fingies reaching out.

If our guys didn’t have those bizarre lapses the game wouldn’t need to be iced
 
It's unreasonable to expect NIcho or any player to drag their team out of the fire or ice a game every single week but it would be nice for Nicho to do it for us maybe even like once every now and then

The whole point of a marque big money player is to win you games (sometimes in tough situations) that you otherwise would not have without them

I'm not suggesting Nicho's presence has not won us games but there are also a fair number where he hasn't really delivered what we need when we need it either (Tricky, Brailey, Kennedy in same boat)

He's an excellent front runner to push an advantage in momentum & or scoreboard when it's already in our favour, in-fact he might be one of the best in the game at this.

But lets face it as the Sharks we arnt going to be switched on for 80 mins. Teams are going to get out to leads on us or fight back hard to get things close and level again and in those situations I just do not know who the team can turn to.

That should not be Hynes burden to carry alone but all the same it's still a problem

Otherwise we need to become the fittest, most disciplined and mistake free team in the comp keeping oppositions as far away from our tryline for as long possible
 
Gards said:
But lets face it as the Sharks we arnt going to be switched on for 80 mins. Teams are going to get out to leads on us or fight back hard to get things close and level again and in those situations I just do not know who the team can turn to.
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This is my biggest issue at the moment. Our team have basically grown up together with a few added guys sprinkled in.

There should be no 'connection' issues etc.

There is no reason that we shouldn't by switch on for nearly 80 mins each and every week.

If we cant do it by now then Fitz needs a clean out - which we can't because he put a lot of faith in this team but signing long term contracts
 
apezza said:
This is my biggest issue at the moment. Our team have basically grown up together with a few added guys sprinkled in.

There should be no 'connection' issues etc.

There is no reason that we shouldn't by switch on for nearly 80 mins each and every week.

If we cant do it by now then Fitz needs a clean out - which we can't because he put a lot of faith in this team but signing long term contracts
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This is so close to a previous @Wilson post...
 
Is Nicho Hynes struggling or just a convenient scapegoat?

ByRobert Dillon
June 28, 2025 — 4.30pm

Rugby league is a game of strong opinions, and few issues divide like the form of the code’s $1 million marquee men.

Just ask Cronulla’s highest-paid player, Nicho Hynes, who has performed an uncanny impersonation of a whipping boy after the Sharks’ 34-28 implosion against Brisbane last weekend, having led 22-6 just before half-time and 28-12 early in the second half.
After sitting pretty in fifth position with seven wins from their first 11 games, Cronulla have lost three of their past four heading into a daunting clash with premiership favourites Melbourne – Hynes’ former club – at AAMI Park on Sunday.

The form of Hynes, one of the NRL’s highest profile, highest paid and most popular players, has attracted plenty of scrutiny. But is it warranted?

Not according to the only man to captain the Sharks to a premiership, Paul Gallen.

“If he wasn’t on that million-plus a year, there’d be no talk about him,” Gallen said. “But that’s what it comes down to. When you’re on that sort of money, you’re expected to perform and produce.

“I think he’s actually been pretty good this year, to be honest with you. He’s just one of those guys that people like to give it to because they can.

“I’m not sticking up for him totally, but I think overall, if you have a look at his game overall, he’s been pretty good this year.”

The statistics support Gallen’s view, suggesting Hynes has been at worst pretty good, without approaching the dominance he displayed in 2022 when he won the Dally M Medal as the game’s best player.

On face value, it could be argued that, in terms of handling the ball, running and kicking, Hynes’ output has been gradually decreasing since that spectacular first season in the Shire, after arriving from Melbourne.

But no player in the NRL has produced more line-break assists this year than Hynes (20), while his try-assists tally (13) is only two fewer than category leader Cameron Munster.

Perhaps it is a case of less is more, but also what should be factored in are the halves partners Hynes has played alongside.

In his first two seasons with the Sharks, his main sidekick was the enigmatic Matt Moylan, who was quite content to play second fiddle and allow Hynes to run the show.

Since Moylan’s departure at the end of the 2023 season, Braydon Trindall has established himself as Cronulla’s five-eighth, despite the claims of St George-Illawarra-bound Daniel Atkinson. And while Trindall wears the No.6 jersey he inherited from Moylan, his combination with Hynes is more of a 50-50 split.

During the past two seasons, Trindall has handled the ball on average 48 times a game, compared to Hynes’ 58. But in terms of kicking, it’s clear that Trindall has become Cronulla’s first option.

This season Trindall leads the NRL for 40-20s (three) and field goals (two), is third on the list for attacking kicks (103) and sixth overall for metres gained from kicks. His grubbers have also forced opponents to make nine goal line dropouts, compared to one from Hynes.

Moreover, Trindall has delivered 12 try assists, only one fewer than Hynes. That’s 25 in tandem, the same number as Munster and Jahrome Hughes have produced for Melbourne, and one fewer than pacesetters Isaiya Katoa and Kodi Nikorima have conjured up for the Dolphins.

In other words, is it too simplistic to judge Hynes by his numbers? Has the 29-year-old simply evolved and taken a step back so that the Sharks can get maximum value from Trindall? Would we be looking at them differently if they swapped numbers on their jerseys?

Sharks enforcer Addin Fonua-Blake argued this week that any blame for the loss in Brisbane should be collectively shared.

“I think it’s not right that Nicho wears all the punishment and all the pressure is on his shoulders,” Fonua-Blake said.

“I’m on the field, too, and I let us down on the weekend. I’ll wear that. I’m pretty sure that of the 17 blokes who took the field, 17 of us would put our hands up and say we weren’t good enough.

“Nicho – unrightfully so – has been the easy scapegoat over a few years, but it’s on all of us to put our hands up.

“Nicho is not the only one to keep making errors and missing tackles. We’ve just got to get around each other – and we have – and build for a tough Storm team this week.”

Gallen was of a similar view, arguing that while Hynes had some moments against Brisbane “that weren’t great”, the Sharks made 13 errors and conceded seven penalties, which invited the Broncos back into the contest.

“It’s just the fundamental errors,” Gallen said. “Silly penalties. That’s the issue for them.

“The difference between their best game and their worst game is too far at the moment. They’ve just got to narrow that gap.”

Gallen had no doubt his former club, which has banked eight wins this season (only four teams have more), will be involved at the business end of the season. And when they get there, Hynes’ experience, cool head and class will be invaluable.

“They’re still where they need to be,” he said. “On their day, they can beat anyone, and they’ve shown that.

“They’ve just got to find the difference between their best and their worst.”

www.smh.com.au

Is Nicho Hynes struggling or just a convenient scapegoat?

The Cronulla star’s stats are clearly down from his Dally M-winning best, but is it too simplistic to judge Hynes by his numbers?
www.smh.com.au www.smh.com.au
 
HaroldBishop said:
Is Nicho Hynes struggling or just a convenient scapegoat?

ByRobert Dillon
June 28, 2025 — 4.30pm

Rugby league is a game of strong opinions, and few issues divide like the form of the code’s $1 million marquee men.

Just ask Cronulla’s highest-paid player, Nicho Hynes, who has performed an uncanny impersonation of a whipping boy after the Sharks’ 34-28 implosion against Brisbane last weekend, having led 22-6 just before half-time and 28-12 early in the second half.
After sitting pretty in fifth position with seven wins from their first 11 games, Cronulla have lost three of their past four heading into a daunting clash with premiership favourites Melbourne – Hynes’ former club – at AAMI Park on Sunday.

The form of Hynes, one of the NRL’s highest profile, highest paid and most popular players, has attracted plenty of scrutiny. But is it warranted?

Not according to the only man to captain the Sharks to a premiership, Paul Gallen.

“If he wasn’t on that million-plus a year, there’d be no talk about him,” Gallen said. “But that’s what it comes down to. When you’re on that sort of money, you’re expected to perform and produce.

“I think he’s actually been pretty good this year, to be honest with you. He’s just one of those guys that people like to give it to because they can.

“I’m not sticking up for him totally, but I think overall, if you have a look at his game overall, he’s been pretty good this year.”

The statistics support Gallen’s view, suggesting Hynes has been at worst pretty good, without approaching the dominance he displayed in 2022 when he won the Dally M Medal as the game’s best player.

On face value, it could be argued that, in terms of handling the ball, running and kicking, Hynes’ output has been gradually decreasing since that spectacular first season in the Shire, after arriving from Melbourne.

But no player in the NRL has produced more line-break assists this year than Hynes (20), while his try-assists tally (13) is only two fewer than category leader Cameron Munster.

Perhaps it is a case of less is more, but also what should be factored in are the halves partners Hynes has played alongside.

In his first two seasons with the Sharks, his main sidekick was the enigmatic Matt Moylan, who was quite content to play second fiddle and allow Hynes to run the show.

Since Moylan’s departure at the end of the 2023 season, Braydon Trindall has established himself as Cronulla’s five-eighth, despite the claims of St George-Illawarra-bound Daniel Atkinson. And while Trindall wears the No.6 jersey he inherited from Moylan, his combination with Hynes is more of a 50-50 split.

During the past two seasons, Trindall has handled the ball on average 48 times a game, compared to Hynes’ 58. But in terms of kicking, it’s clear that Trindall has become Cronulla’s first option.

This season Trindall leads the NRL for 40-20s (three) and field goals (two), is third on the list for attacking kicks (103) and sixth overall for metres gained from kicks. His grubbers have also forced opponents to make nine goal line dropouts, compared to one from Hynes.

Moreover, Trindall has delivered 12 try assists, only one fewer than Hynes. That’s 25 in tandem, the same number as Munster and Jahrome Hughes have produced for Melbourne, and one fewer than pacesetters Isaiya Katoa and Kodi Nikorima have conjured up for the Dolphins.

In other words, is it too simplistic to judge Hynes by his numbers? Has the 29-year-old simply evolved and taken a step back so that the Sharks can get maximum value from Trindall? Would we be looking at them differently if they swapped numbers on their jerseys?

Sharks enforcer Addin Fonua-Blake argued this week that any blame for the loss in Brisbane should be collectively shared.

“I think it’s not right that Nicho wears all the punishment and all the pressure is on his shoulders,” Fonua-Blake said.

“I’m on the field, too, and I let us down on the weekend. I’ll wear that. I’m pretty sure that of the 17 blokes who took the field, 17 of us would put our hands up and say we weren’t good enough.

“Nicho – unrightfully so – has been the easy scapegoat over a few years, but it’s on all of us to put our hands up.

“Nicho is not the only one to keep making errors and missing tackles. We’ve just got to get around each other – and we have – and build for a tough Storm team this week.”

Gallen was of a similar view, arguing that while Hynes had some moments against Brisbane “that weren’t great”, the Sharks made 13 errors and conceded seven penalties, which invited the Broncos back into the contest.

“It’s just the fundamental errors,” Gallen said. “Silly penalties. That’s the issue for them.

“The difference between their best game and their worst game is too far at the moment. They’ve just got to narrow that gap.”

Gallen had no doubt his former club, which has banked eight wins this season (only four teams have more), will be involved at the business end of the season. And when they get there, Hynes’ experience, cool head and class will be invaluable.

“They’re still where they need to be,” he said. “On their day, they can beat anyone, and they’ve shown that.

“They’ve just got to find the difference between their best and their worst.”

www.smh.com.au

Is Nicho Hynes struggling or just a convenient scapegoat?

The Cronulla star’s stats are clearly down from his Dally M-winning best, but is it too simplistic to judge Hynes by his numbers?
www.smh.com.au www.smh.com.au
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I like this take.

Our halves rank low on the list of our problems but are the focal point of this board's discussions.
Both are a fair reflection of what this team is capable of, good or bad. Consistently performing to high standards has been the issue.
It doesn't excuse Hynes (or Trindall's) shortcomings as exemplified last week.
When it comes together, we're world beaters. However we can't do this 2 games in a row... not even 2 halves in a row.

We're about as consistent as NRL refereeing, which is saying something.
And we're softer than marshmallows when the going gets tough.
Those are team issues.
 
What about the take, that there has been at least 3 games this year where good game management would have meant Cronulla win and would be in the top 4 right now. Despite the injury depleted forward pack.

This is where a good 6-7 ice the game.

Nico does not cope with pressure, which is bad trait for a half.
 
All the woe is me stories.

That ridiculous “fall” last week was nothing but a brain melt by Nico.
 
Blix said:
What about the take, that there has been at least 3 games this year where good game management would have meant Cronulla win and would be in the top 4 right now. Despite the injury depleted forward pack.

This is where a good 6-7 ice the game.

Nico does not cope with pressure, which is bad trait for a half.
Click to expand...
If only we’d had elite game manager trindall in those games as 6 or 7
 
HaroldBishop said:
Is Nicho Hynes struggling or just a convenient scapegoat?

ByRobert Dillon
June 28, 2025 — 4.30pm

Rugby league is a game of strong opinions, and few issues divide like the form of the code’s $1 million marquee men.

Just ask Cronulla’s highest-paid player, Nicho Hynes, who has performed an uncanny impersonation of a whipping boy after the Sharks’ 34-28 implosion against Brisbane last weekend, having led 22-6 just before half-time and 28-12 early in the second half.
After sitting pretty in fifth position with seven wins from their first 11 games, Cronulla have lost three of their past four heading into a daunting clash with premiership favourites Melbourne – Hynes’ former club – at AAMI Park on Sunday.

The form of Hynes, one of the NRL’s highest profile, highest paid and most popular players, has attracted plenty of scrutiny. But is it warranted?

Not according to the only man to captain the Sharks to a premiership, Paul Gallen.

“If he wasn’t on that million-plus a year, there’d be no talk about him,” Gallen said. “But that’s what it comes down to. When you’re on that sort of money, you’re expected to perform and produce.

“I think he’s actually been pretty good this year, to be honest with you. He’s just one of those guys that people like to give it to because they can.

“I’m not sticking up for him totally, but I think overall, if you have a look at his game overall, he’s been pretty good this year.”

The statistics support Gallen’s view, suggesting Hynes has been at worst pretty good, without approaching the dominance he displayed in 2022 when he won the Dally M Medal as the game’s best player.

On face value, it could be argued that, in terms of handling the ball, running and kicking, Hynes’ output has been gradually decreasing since that spectacular first season in the Shire, after arriving from Melbourne.

But no player in the NRL has produced more line-break assists this year than Hynes (20), while his try-assists tally (13) is only two fewer than category leader Cameron Munster.

Perhaps it is a case of less is more, but also what should be factored in are the halves partners Hynes has played alongside.

In his first two seasons with the Sharks, his main sidekick was the enigmatic Matt Moylan, who was quite content to play second fiddle and allow Hynes to run the show.

Since Moylan’s departure at the end of the 2023 season, Braydon Trindall has established himself as Cronulla’s five-eighth, despite the claims of St George-Illawarra-bound Daniel Atkinson. And while Trindall wears the No.6 jersey he inherited from Moylan, his combination with Hynes is more of a 50-50 split.

During the past two seasons, Trindall has handled the ball on average 48 times a game, compared to Hynes’ 58. But in terms of kicking, it’s clear that Trindall has become Cronulla’s first option.

This season Trindall leads the NRL for 40-20s (three) and field goals (two), is third on the list for attacking kicks (103) and sixth overall for metres gained from kicks. His grubbers have also forced opponents to make nine goal line dropouts, compared to one from Hynes.

Moreover, Trindall has delivered 12 try assists, only one fewer than Hynes. That’s 25 in tandem, the same number as Munster and Jahrome Hughes have produced for Melbourne, and one fewer than pacesetters Isaiya Katoa and Kodi Nikorima have conjured up for the Dolphins.

In other words, is it too simplistic to judge Hynes by his numbers? Has the 29-year-old simply evolved and taken a step back so that the Sharks can get maximum value from Trindall? Would we be looking at them differently if they swapped numbers on their jerseys?

Sharks enforcer Addin Fonua-Blake argued this week that any blame for the loss in Brisbane should be collectively shared.

“I think it’s not right that Nicho wears all the punishment and all the pressure is on his shoulders,” Fonua-Blake said.

“I’m on the field, too, and I let us down on the weekend. I’ll wear that. I’m pretty sure that of the 17 blokes who took the field, 17 of us would put our hands up and say we weren’t good enough.

“Nicho – unrightfully so – has been the easy scapegoat over a few years, but it’s on all of us to put our hands up.

“Nicho is not the only one to keep making errors and missing tackles. We’ve just got to get around each other – and we have – and build for a tough Storm team this week.”

Gallen was of a similar view, arguing that while Hynes had some moments against Brisbane “that weren’t great”, the Sharks made 13 errors and conceded seven penalties, which invited the Broncos back into the contest.

“It’s just the fundamental errors,” Gallen said. “Silly penalties. That’s the issue for them.

“The difference between their best game and their worst game is too far at the moment. They’ve just got to narrow that gap.”

Gallen had no doubt his former club, which has banked eight wins this season (only four teams have more), will be involved at the business end of the season. And when they get there, Hynes’ experience, cool head and class will be invaluable.

“They’re still where they need to be,” he said. “On their day, they can beat anyone, and they’ve shown that.

“They’ve just got to find the difference between their best and their worst.”

www.smh.com.au

Is Nicho Hynes struggling or just a convenient scapegoat?

The Cronulla star’s stats are clearly down from his Dally M-winning best, but is it too simplistic to judge Hynes by his numbers?
www.smh.com.au www.smh.com.au
Click to expand...
Yeah it's great to compare certain metrics and stats to suit a certain narrative. Though yeah there's a lot more to it; shitty passes that result in errors, poor defensive reads/tackles, woeful kicks (either out on the full, or kicks that don't go anywhere, results in poor field position).
 
beaver2233 said:
Yeah it's great to compare certain metrics and stats to suit a certain narrative. Though yeah there's a lot more to it; shitty passes that result in errors, poor defensive reads/tackles, woeful kicks (either out on the full, or kicks that don't go anywhere, results in poor field position).
Click to expand...
Fact you could be describing either half probably supports the idea it’s not all on Nicho.
 
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