Hynes out to silence critics in must win qualifying final for Sharks

SEN’s Cameron Smith has challenged Cronulla Sharks halfback Nicho Hynes to lift his game and dominate the 2024 finals series.

The Sharks have finished in the the top four for the second season under the first three years of coach Craig Fitzgibbon but have failed to win a finals match in that time.

Hynes has often been the whipping boy for the Sharks when the team fails to fire and those calls were raised following his sub par performance in State of Origin Game I earlier this season.

While some of the criticism can be unfair, Smith said the only way for Hynes to silence his detractors is to produce a stellar performance in the Sharks’ qualifying final against the Melbourne Storm on Saturday afternoon.

“This game is massive for him,” Smith told SENQ.

“He’s taken out the Dally M medal but he has yet to get a big scalp in the big games.

“This is both in finals games and also Origin.

“He has performed extremely well when he was at the Melbourne Storm but that was when he was playing in various different roles.

“Ever since he has been at the Sharks in the seven jersey with the role of it being his team, he just hasn’t got the job done.

“This is huge in the context of his career moving forward. If he can get the job done in an upset victory over Melbourne, that could catapult him in the discussion of great halfbacks.”

The Sharks finished second in 2022 in Hynes’ first season but exited the finals in straight sets after losses to the Cowboys and Rabbitohs.

Cronulla are still searching for their first finals win since 2018 and Smith still has serious doubts over whether the Sharks can lift their game in September.

“I haven’t been overly sold on them throughout the season,” Smith added.

“They are now hitting a bit of form and they are at full strength.

“It’s the first time they have been fully fit in a long time. They knocked off the Storm at home earlier in the year.

“Craig Fitzgibbon needs to gear them up because it’s a huge one for them.

“They need to throw the kitchen sink at them.”

The Sharks have not made a preliminary final since 2018 where they lost to the Storm in Melbourne.