Cronulla Sharks coach responds to ugly claims around Nicho Hynes ahead of Storm clash
The Sharks halfback is out to silence his critics in the NRL finals series.
Craig Fitzgibbon has shut down claims star halfback Nicho Hynes fails to deliver in the big games having warned the Sharks are primed for a deep NRL finals run ahead of their clash with the Storm on Saturday. The Sharks have produced in recent weeks having won five of their last six outings to finish the NRL season. There only loss in the last six games came against the Warriors in the final play of the game.
One of the form teams entering the finals, the Sharks will play minor premiers the Storm in the first round of the NRL finals. And coach Fitzgibbon has praised his team for finding form at the right time of the season.
"The last two years we've probably almost limped into the finals, players in, players out," Fitzgibbon said ahead of the clash with Melbourne. "This year we've got a bit of energy about us and we feel like we've surged through the back end of the year with energy."
And Fitzgibbon knows all eyes will be on Hynes as he enters another NRL finals campaign with question marks hovering over his ability to deliver when it matters. Hynes was selected for State of Origin Game 1 this year, but was dropped for the remainder of the series after an underwhelming performance in the game's biggest arena.
He has also come under question a number of times for the Sharks having failed to deliver when the game has been on the line. However, Hynes returned from injury two few weeks ago and looks fresh with the halfback producing one of his best games of the season in the Sharks' demolition of Manly last week.
And Fitzgibbon believes Hynes is an invaluable player for the team as they look to quell doubts surrounding their title credentials. "He hasn't had that many (big games) so he might not have yet, but that's not to say he can't in the future," the Sharks coach said of Hynes.
"He's won us plenty of games as well and they seem to be forgotten so we'll find out, I know he's ready. "He was a whole lot sharper last week than his first game back and combined really well with Tricky (Braydon Trindall).
"What Nicho's done really well is come back in and work for the team and I think our team's flourished with his return a little bit. If he gets up and he gets running and confident and our team's playing well, we'll see the best version of him. But we've got to play like a team, we need a team performance, we're playing against the Melbourne Storm down here and if we don't have that it won't matter how well Nicho plays."
Nicho Hynes and Jahrome Hughes showdown
The Sharks are one of the few teams that have defeated the Storm in 2024. Back in round 10, the Sharks emerged victorious in a 25-18 win at AAMI Park, their first win in Melbourne since 2018. Hynes missed that game, but the NRL finals clash sets-up a tantalising showdown between the Sharks No.7 and Dally M favourite Jahrome Hughes.
RELATED:
Jahrome Hughes' $6 million rejection after 'rumblings' around wife
Wife detail as Ben Hunt linked with immediate exit from Dragons
With rain forecasted for Saturday in Melbourne, Fitzgibbon is confident his men can adjust to whatever game plan is required to shock the minor premiers. "Obviously, we've got two halves as opposed to one, and we played with an extra middle forward that night, but we've got the ability to do that in-game if that's what's needed," he said.
