Nicho Hynes move that could backfire on Cowboys as NRL great issues massive warning
The Cowboys great has warned his old club not to focus too much on Nicho Hynes.
Cowboys great Brent Tate has warned his former side to not "fall into the trap" of trying to put excess pressure on Sharks playmaker Nicho Hynes. Since Hynes has returned from injury in round 26, the Sharks have only won a single match and the halfback's poor performance against the Storm in the preliminary final has led to calls for him to be dropped.
The likes of Penrith great Greg Alexander have suggested Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon should turn back to the more successful halves pairing of Daniel Atkinson and Braydon Trindall for the must-win clash against the Cowboys this Friday night. But Fitzgibbon has kept faith in the former Dally M winner, stating he doesn't listen to outside voices.
"I've heard it, but I won't be picking (the team) based on what anyone else says," Fitzgibbon said. "We've been working really hard at blocking that (criticism) and not looking at it. It has less of an effect if you're not constantly searching and looking at it." And Tate fears his old club might go overboard in trying to target Hynes on Friday night, a move he believes would ultimately work against them.
"I think if it becomes a focus for the Cowboys (to target Hynes), it can become a distraction," Tate told SENQ Breakfast on Thursday. "I think at the end of the day, I have no doubt, whether Nicho was in form or not, that anytime he has the ball the Cowboys will be wanting to cut down his time and put a whole lot of pressure on him.
"I think they could fall into the trap of wanting to put pressure on Nicho but I just get the feeling they will put pressure on him anyway. He is an important part for their team but I thought last week his performance was probably down a little bit and that was a real reflection of the team. As I said, I think it can be a trap.”
Corey Parker calls for Sharks forwards to lead from the front
While former Queensland Origin forward Corey Parker believes much of Hynes' struggles have been a direct result of the Cronulla forwards not holding their own. The Sharks pack was dominated in their loss to the Storm last week and face a revered Cowboys frontline, which includes Reuben Cotter, Jason Taumalolo and Jordan McLean on Friday.
"You see the best halfbacks in the competition, you’re normally playing on the front foot, not a lot of them are off the back foot," Parker said on SENQ Mornings. "Until that middle part of the field is going to be won, it makes it extremely difficult and then heightens some of the other things.
"You look at the outside backs for the Sharks, some of the best in the competition and they do a lot of the heavy lifting coming out of their own end, yes their forwards need to put their hands up but if they don’t… it’s going to play havoc with the halves. They get Addin Fonua-Blake next year, who will make a huge difference in that football side, but that’s not until next year and they’re right up to their eyeballs in it at the moment.”
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Parker says Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon should light a fire under his forwards to lead from the front on Friday night. "There should be an absolute rocket lifted up under those forwards," he said.
"Look at any team that’s won a competition, it’s normally a representative halfback and a representative front-rower. That middle part of the field has just been owned. They need to have a real mentality of owning that middle part of the field and give their outside backs and their class and creative players enough time and space.”
