Eels, Tigers\u2019 huge rise; Broncos\u2019 hangover risk<\/a><\/p>\nSource: FOX SPORTS<\/p>\n
Hynes has no doubt the fact the current team is running out of time is in the back of every player\u2019s mind. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe haven\u2019t spoken about it, the motivation is coming from within after being in back-to-back prelims and not getting that done,\u201d Hynes said. <\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what we\u2019re talking about at the moment and we can feel the presence of that. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe haven\u2019t really touched on a last dance or the players leaving, it\u2019s probably just an unspoken thing that\u2019s going on in the background and everyone knows it. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt doesn\u2019t need to be spoken about, we just need to win every day and get all the players singing from the same song again and putting it on the paddock.\u201d <\/p>\n
Helping the Sharks get a headstart on their rivals is a low turnover of players, while they are the only club not to recruit anyone going into the new season. <\/p>\n
Hynes sees the squad stability as a positive as they aim to hit the ground running in 2026. <\/p>\n
\u201cAll our connections and our culture is the same, so no one really has to come in and learn any new systems and we\u2019ve kept the nucleus of the group for the last four or five years,\u201d Hynes said. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe know each other\u2019s game play back to front now, so another year our spine\u2019s together, another year Tricky (Trindall) and I are going to be gelling together. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m just really looking forward to what this squad can do because you never know what\u2019s going to happen, it could be our last year together as this squad.\u201d <\/p>\n
Hynes is confident in his combination with Braydon Trindall.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
Hynes and halves partner Braydon Trindall copped their fair share of criticism after the prelim loss to the Storm. <\/p>\n
It comes with the territory of playing in key positions in the NRL after a finals loss, but Hynes and his fellow spine players are using it as motivation in 2026. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe gold standard would be for me and him to play every game together again and put runs on the board,\u201d Hynes said of his combination with Trindall. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe more time we spend in the middle of the field together coming up against opposition, the better for us and I feel like it\u2019s trending in the right direction. <\/p>\n
\u201cStill a lot of hard work, it\u2019s definitely not an end result there yet and we\u2019ve got players like Blayke (Brailey), who\u2019s stepped up and Will (Kennedy) is going to step up again this year. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt obviously falls a lot on us halves, but I reckon Will and Blayke are in for a big year and us as a spine together will hopefully play our best footy this year.\u201d <\/p>\n
The Sharks have a new look in 2026 with their away jersey.Source: Supplied Source Known<\/p>\n
Hynes has been a bit of a whipping boy at the Sharks, often copping unfair criticism every time the team loses a big game. <\/p>\n
The star halfback got engaged to his partner in the off-season and credits her love and support with keeping him grounded and giving him perspective and a refuge from the pressures of the sport. <\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the main thing, just being able to go home every day and night and shut off footy and most days, nine times out of ten, I\u2019ll just leave any rugby league talk at the front door,\u201d Hynes said. <\/p>\n
\u201cThen I can go in there and just be Nicho Hynes as a human and she allows me to be that and just being able to go home, cook dinner, have a laugh, put our shows on and just hang out. <\/p>\n
\u201cShe doesn\u2019t love me for Nicho Hynes the footy player, she loves me for me, so I don\u2019t need to bring any of the baggage through the door to involve her in anything, it\u2019s just pure fun laughter and love really.\u201d <\/p>\n
Nicho Hynes got engaged partner to Piper Wallis in the off-season.Source: Supplied<\/p>\n
Helping to share the load of leading the team is new skipper Blayke Brailey, who has blossomed from an unassuming kid into a vocal leader in recent seasons. <\/p>\n
Hynes has noticed the impact touring with the Kangaroos has had on the Sharks skipper and is expecting big things from him in 2026. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou can tell he\u2019s come back with a hell of a lot more experience and more knowledge of the game and you can just tell the way he speaks around the group and in training,\u201d Hynes said of Brailey. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s been someone who\u2019s a bit more of a chilled out cat and doesn\u2019t really like spending too many hours in the video room or on his game. He was just someone who just gets it done quite easily. <\/p>\n
\u201cBut now I can tell that he\u2019s got that hunger in his belly to be the best version of himself every day and be the best captain he can be and he spends hours on the field and watching video and he\u2019s a completely different Blayke Brailey than he was when I first came to the club, that\u2019s for sure.\u201d <\/p>\n
Hynes is expecting a big year from Blayke Brailey.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
Another player who has helped ease the burden on the leadership group has been Addin Fonua-Blake, with the star prop setting new standards on and off the field since arriving last season. <\/p>\n
Hynes credits Fonua-Blake with instilling confidence in every player around him and encouraging the Sharks squad to bring their A-game every day. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe just brings that presence about him,\u201d Hynes said. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a world class front-rower, who\u2019s done everything in the game, but win a comp, so hopefully he can do that for us. <\/p>\n
\u201cBut he\u2019s just someone who brings a bit of fear in the opposition. Every time a team lines up against Adddin Fonua-Blake, they know it\u2019s going to be a hard night. <\/p>\n
\u201cAnd when he\u2019s running those lines and bending the opposition\u2019s back a little bit, then it brings us onto the ball more. <\/p>\n
\u201cHis go-forward has brought Blayke Brailey\u2019s running game out. He has brought the best out of him and then Blayke brings the best out of me and Tricky and I feel like that\u2019s helped us all bring the best out in each other. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhen Addin\u2019s running and then Hazelton, Rudolf, Hamile-Uele, Talakai, Colquhoun, McInnes, they just roll off the back of it. <\/p>\n
\u201cAddin has helped us all bring the best out in each other, so I\u2019m really glad he has come to our club.\u201d <\/p>\n
Addin Fonua-Blake has been a revelation for the Sharks squad.Source: News Corp Australia<\/p>\n
However, Hynes doesn\u2019t want Fonua-Blake to have to carry too big a load in 2026 and called on himself and Trindall to ice more big moments when the big fella gets them in position. <\/p>\n
\u201cHis presence brings more confidence in the players around him,\u201d Hynes said. <\/p>\n
\u201cAnd our forward pack love playing behind him because he does break those tackles and he has the post contact metres and then we get the ball each time off the back there. <\/p>\n
\u201cThen it makes our role easier, so I\u2019m hoping he brings that for us this year and we\u2019ll pay him back, by hopefully putting our team in a position to win more games.\u201d<\/p>\n
‘He’s in good shape for how old he is’ | 10:50<\/p>\n
A massive boost to the Sharks\u2019 future was the re-signing of boom forward Jesse Colquhoun, with a four-year extension tying him to the club until 2030 at least. <\/p>\n
With the Bears circling, Hynes called Colquhoun\u2019s new deal a massive boon for the club, and a huge reward for a player who has bounced back from a horror injury run to be one of the Sharks\u2019 best players last season. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a great young kid, who\u2019s willing to learn,\u201d Hynes said. <\/p>\n
\u201cEver since I came to this club and met Jesse he is just someone who is all effort, really cares about the club and the jersey and just wants to be better every single day. <\/p>\n
Jesse Colquhoun has re-signed in a huge boost for the Sharks.Source: Supplied<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s had some unfortunate injuries and he was out for nearly three years in a row there, so he\u2019s getting the best out of his body at the moment and fingers crossed he can stay fit because he\u2019s going to be one hell of a player.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just a reward for someone who dedicates their life to this club and to his footy and he reaps the rewards and good things happen to good people and the hardest workers in the room and that\u2019s him.\u201d <\/p>\n
Conversely, hurting the Sharks\u2019 bid for a title is the departure of utility Daniel Atkinson and knee injuries to Cameron McInnes and Ronaldo Mulitalo, but Hynes is confident Cronulla have the squad mentality to fill the voids. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt was hard to lose Atko (Atkinson), he was a big part of our team and he filled in that No.14 role and was our first back-up half,\u201d Hynes said. <\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like someone who\u2019s going to be stepping up in that role to fill in if something does happen to Tricky or me or someone in the spine is Niwhai Puru, who has had a really good pre-season. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s been chipping away for the last two, three years now and I have no doubt that he\u2019ll come in and do a really good job if he\u2019s called upon at some stage. <\/p>\n
Niwhai Puru has impressed Hynes and could fill Daniel Atkinson\u2019s role.Source: The Daily Telegraph<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd his twin brother, Hohepa Puru\u2019s had an even better pre-season, so those two are really training each other to the ground and trying to beat one another. <\/p>\n
\u201cYoung Nick Gabriel is someone who\u2019s chomping at the bit to get a start, so those three guys have been pretty impressive out of the young crew.\u201d <\/p>\n
Mulitalo is one of the Sharks\u2019 best players and most potent finishers, but Hynes backed two players to fill in until he returns. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s Stoney (Stonestreet), who\u2019s trained real well,\u201d Hynes said. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s got that real try-finisher vibe about him. Very fast and competes really hard. <\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Mawene Hiroti, who can play anywhere in the outside backs, so it\u2019s going to be a good tussle to see who gets that. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a healthy competition and I\u2019m really enjoying what both of them are doing at the moment.\u201d <\/p>\n
Source: FOX SPORTS<\/p>\n
Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon is under pressure to deliver a premiership in 2026 after five years of being so close yet so far. <\/p>\n
However, Hynes is adamant the Sharks have the right coaches in place and called on the players to drive the improvement on the field to reach their ultimate goal. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no point in me telling you guys what\u2019s going on here because then it\u2019s giving away too much, but we\u2019re working hard like every other team would be doing,\u201d Hynes said. \u201cEveryone who does an interview at this time of the year says they had the best pre-season ever, until you get on the field and they punch you in the face and you go, oh shit.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re training at our absolute best with what the coaches are giving us and they\u2019re giving us really good guidance in each session and they\u2019re here to make us better and I feel like we\u2019re getting better every day. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m backing the coaching staff with what they bring and transitioning that through to our leadership group and then giving it to the players, so I couldn\u2019t be happier with how we\u2019re going at the moment.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Nicho Hynes and the Sharks have been the nearly men of the NRL for the past few seasons,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":439287,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[568],"tags":[4614,64,63,159549,219794,6404,4562,19061,111460,11101,4738,4565,12732,4437,32121,224643,41966,16709,224260,228677,80396,104495,228683,11288,27156,224256,228680,7628,228673,4415,4587,23999,3255,4746,228679,4466,32917,761,762,228675,158,9112,88016,228684,104069,228672,228678,224254,224262,122351,160215,10134,225667,85,143228,228676,19973,228674,224658,228681,228682,228671,148132],"class_list":["post-439286","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nrl","tag-addin-fonua-blake","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-back-to-back-preliminary-finals","tag-bears-roster-build","tag-blayke-brailey","tag-cameron-mcinnes","tag-coaching-staff","tag-contact-metres","tag-cooper-cronk","tag-craig-fitzgibbon","tag-cronulla-sharks","tag-dan-ginnane","tag-daniel-atkinson","tag-elimination-final","tag-elite-company","tag-end-goal","tag-end-result","tag-fan-day","tag-fellow-spine-players","tag-finals-loss","tag-footy-player","tag-four-year-extension-tying","tag-grand-final","tag-halves-partner","tag-hangover-risk","tag-hohepa-puru","tag-horror-injury","tag-instilling-confidence","tag-james-tedesco","tag-jesse-colquhoun","tag-knee-injuries","tag-leadership-group","tag-mark-st-john","tag-massive-boost","tag-melbourne-storm","tag-michael-ennis","tag-national-rugby-league","tag-nationalrugbyleague","tag-nick-gabriel","tag-nrl","tag-parramatta-eels","tag-players-leaving","tag-prelim-defeats","tag-prelim-loss","tag-pure-fun-laughter","tag-real-try-finisher-vibe","tag-rugby-signings","tag-rugby-signings-shake","tag-sam-stonestreet","tag-sean-osullivan","tag-single-day","tag-skincare-company","tag-sports","tag-squad-mentality","tag-squad-stability","tag-star-halfback","tag-team-lines","tag-title-team","tag-unfortunate-injuries","tag-wallis","tag-world-class-front-rower","tag-young-kid"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/439286","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=439286"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/439286\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/439287"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=439286"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=439286"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=439286"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1768365730_454_poster-fallback.png\"\/)
<\/p>\n