Sharks halfback Nicho Hynes is having a rough month.
First he had a forgettable outing for NSW in the Origin opener, then he missed a conversion after the siren in a 30-28 loss to the Dolphins and then he was axed by the Blues.
When it rains it pours – in golden point against the Bulldogs on Friday night, Hynes missed a point-blank field goal to win the game from just 15 metres out.
Canterbury playmaker Matt Burton then marched his side 50 metres down field and slotted the match winner.
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Cronulla coach Craig Fitzgibbon said during the week the media needs to stop asking about Hynes’ wellbeing, but he conceded after the game that this loss would “sting” his No. 7.
“You’ve got to ice your moments,” Fitzgibbon said.
“That’s part of the job and responsibility as a playmaker and that one will sting, but he’s got to dust himself off pretty quick and look forward to the next moment.
“It’s going to shape him, he’s got to go through it, it’s part of it – the responsibility – and he’s accepting that far better (these days).
“He’s been stung before and carried his divots a little bit, but I feel like the last couple of weeks – he acknowledges them.
“It’ll sting, of course it’s going to sting. But I feel like he’s ready to keep going after the moments, he didn’t shy away from it, he put himself in position, but yeah he’s got to ice it.”
Sharks skipper Cameron McInnes was asked what he said after the game to 2022 Dally M Medal winner Hynes.
“I just said he’s our guy, he’s our man, we’re all behind him, we’ll do great things with him leading us and nothing has changed. That’s what I said to him,” McInnes said.
Bulldogs captain Stephen Crichton, who was NSW teammates with Hynes in Origin I, backed him to bounce back.
“His next few weeks are going to be big for him,” Crichton said.
“He’s probably the only guy who can bring him out of this and bring his team out of this, but those top calibre players can do that so there’s no doubt he’ll come back bigger and better, work on his game and he’ll be back firing.”
Fitzgibbon gets behind under fire Nicho | 05:07
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NRL legend Cooper Cronk said there were “no excuses” for Hynes’ miss in front of the sticks but backed him to bounce back.
“Nicho Hynes will have to pull himself up off the canvas, he missed an absolute sitter there that eventually cost them the game,” Cronk said.
“Not ideal playing the ball that close to the line for Nicho, but no excuses, he should have kicked that one and Matt Burton had the poise and the skills to do it.”
“You have to feel for Nicho… but really he should be nailing those, and a couple of missed conversions as well,” James Graham responded.
“Granted, they were difficult ones but if he lands one of them and they’re not in this position.”
Cronk said he missed more field goals than he made in his decorated NRL career and emphasised it was how you respond that counts.
“I’ve been in this position, I missed more than I kicked in my time and every time you miss one the harder it is to kick the next one,” Cronk said.
“He just has to get back to work, get back to grinding, and he needs to kick the ball 100 times in this situation before he gets another chance.
“We spoke about the mental resilience he would have to show to bounce back, he was okay in patches but it’s going to take a bit of work to get over that one.”
Usual pest gets into it with Nicho! | 00:30
The media spotlight on Hynes will only intensify and England great Graham said he should take it as a compliment.
“Nicho Hynes isn’t going to be remembered for a field goal that he missed in round 17, 2024, but at the moment he’ll feel like he owes his team and that’s only natural,” Graham said.
“The media interest is part of the game now, the media do want to know how the star player is travelling, especially after facing adversity, it’s not as simple as leave them alone.
“It’s a compliment in a way because Nicho is so good and he is so important to that Sharks team and people do want to see if Cronulla are going to go on a run.
“People are naturally going to ask questions and yeah you defend your player, but it’s not going to stop.”
Cronk, who copped his fair share of headlines throughout his career, said scrutiny came with the territory of being an elite NRL halfback.
“It is heightened around Nicho but it’s heightened around all the gun players in our competition and the difference between getting a question of how you’re feeling or a question of well done is being successful in the moment,” Cronk said.
“And that’s all Nicho has to concentrate on, he’s got a few more challenges in front of him but he’ll come out and kick one because trust me you don’t remember the ones you miss, you only remember the ones you kick.
“There’s question marks about whether he can handle certain occasions and ultimately it’s up to his performance.
“When you get that situation and miss, you just can’t wait to get another opportunity.
“Nicho will come back and win a game for the Sharks some time soon.”
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