Will Fonua-Blake’s arrival at Cronulla pave the way for a Hynes career resurgence?

SEN’s Joel Caine has made a bold prediction for Cronulla Sharks star Nicho Hynes, believing that the arrival of forward Addin Fonua-Blake will allow the halfback to return to his career-best form.

The 2022 Dally M Medal winner has struggled to recover the form that saw him awarded the game’s top individual honour and has come under heavy scrutiny due to the Sharks’ lacklustre performances in crucial games.

The criticism aimed towards Hynes only increased in 2024 as a long stint on the sidelines saw the Sharks thrive with Daniel Atkinson and Braydon Trindall in the halves.

However, Hynes is bound for an improved season in 2025 with the arrival of Fonua-Blake, according to Caine.

“Addin Fonua-Blake is going to help Nicho Hynes win his second Dally M (Medal),” Caine said on SEN 1170 The Run Home.

“I love touch (football) when it comes to rugby league players coming through, when you play touch you’re always on the front foot, you’ve always got them backpedalling.

“Nicho is supreme when they’re backpedalling if you go through the games where he was getting man of the matches, they were steamrolling him, all of a sudden you pick up Addin Fonua-Blake and teams are starting to retreat, Nicho Hynes on the front foot.”

Hynes has struggled in his limited appearances in a representative jersey, something that Caine believes won’t affect his ability next season.

“That’s why I don’t think Origin worked for him so much, that’s why when you take on Melbourne and Penrith it doesn’t work so much,” Caine added.

“When Penrith lose Fisher-Harris, I know they’ve got Lindsay Smith, Leota etc but if Cronulla can really work on that forward pack, Nicho comes back into it big time.

“I think he’s in for a massive year purely because of Addin Fonua-Blake.”