Nathan Cleary act towards Nicho Hynes that could come back to haunt Panthers in NRL final

Nicho Hynes has revealed how Nathan Cleary has helped him overcome adversity and deal with intense scrutiny, which may provide the Cronulla halfback with the blueprint on how to take down the mighty Panthers. Hynes cops more scrutiny and criticism than the majority of players in the NRL, but exorcised some of his demons last weekend to help the Sharks beat the Cowboys.

It snapped a run of seven-straight finals losses for Cronulla and meant they avoided a dreaded straight-sets exit for the second year running. But their reward for beating the Cowboys is a date with three-time reigning premiers Penrith in the preliminary final.

For the Sharks to have any chance of beating the Panthers, they'll need their million-dollar halfback at his best. And some words of wisdom that Cleary shared with Hynes might actually be his undoing.

If Hynes can overcome the external noise, he's one of the most dangerous players in the NRL. And with a little help from his Panthers counterpart, he's on the right track.

"My ego's not too big that I can't ask my peers for help," Hynes said last weekend about reaching out to Cleary for advice . "It's just what you've got to do in life and in this sort of game.

"When you go through challenges, you try and get the help of someone who's been through something similar. Early in his career he went through a few challenges. I'd be silly not to try and build a relationship with someone like that.

"At one stage [the discussions] were more off field but there's now both [areas]. When we're together I always pick his brain and we talk about life in general. He's always happy to help and give me a hand."

Nathan Cleary paid visit to Nicho Hynes' house

Hynes and Cleary have been in NSW and Kangaroos camps together, and Hynes is always keen to pick his rival's brain. Hynes revealed Cleary even visited his house earlier this year for a catch-up.

"He was in the area so he came over and I picked his brain a bit," Hynes said. "I have a great relationship with Nathan. I'm not ashamed to say I respect and idolise Nathan and what he's done in this game. I really love the bloke, he's a genuinely nice person, he cares about me and I care about him. I'm grateful we can have those discussions to try and help each other out.

"Next weekend it's going to be business as usual, I want to try and take him and his team down. He's going to try and do the exact same thing. Regardless of the result, we'll shake hands, share a beer together and whoever's going on to the next game, we'll wish them luck."

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Nicho Hynes off social media and alcohol

If Hynes does manage to steer the Sharks to a monumental upset, Cleary's words of advice might come back to haunt him. Not that he's the sort of person to regret helping a peer.

Hynes won the Dally M medal in 2022 and has never had any troubles starring for the Sharks in the regular season. But his performances in NRL finals and State of Origin games have led to suggestions he struggles to perform on the big stage.

He's taken the step of deleting his social media counts to get away from the scrutiny, and has even put himself on an alcohol ban. "In the new year I just said I want to do whatever it takes to win us a grand final," he said.

"And if that is cutting down on the alcohol, then that's it. I have never been a massive drinker anyway. I like to have a good time, but there is a time and place. And I felt this year hasn't really been the time and place to do it."