Nicho\u2019s big admission on Sharks reality that \u2018everyone knows\u2019<\/a><\/p>\nNicho Hynes and Braydon Trindall were some of the most consistent halves last season.Source: News Corp Australia<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve played two prelims now and I think the most recent one we\u2019ve played is the better performance out of the two. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re just back at training now working hard to put ourselves in that position again and hopefully go on to another bigger game in the grand final.\u201d <\/p>\n
However, Trindall agreed with the critics on one point: the Sharks playmakers need to deliver when it matters most and ice the big moments. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe lessons to take out of it is you need to stand up in those big games,\u201d Trindall said.<\/p>\n
Can Moses & Pezet click this season? | 05:11<\/p>\n
\u201cThat run at the back end of the year was nice, but I think if we do that for the whole season, we\u2019ll put ourselves in a better position to finish the year stronger, so consistency will be key.\u201d <\/p>\n
After their best season together as a halves combination and with another pre-season under their belt, Trindall is confident he and Hynes are the men to silence the doubters and lead the Sharks to a first Grand Final appearance and premiership since 2016. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe haven\u2019t done too much different, I\u2019ve always said it and I think he has too, but it just comes with the more time played with each other and the more experience we get as a pairing,\u201d Trindall said. <\/p>\n
Trindall is expecting big things from he and Nicho Hynes in 2026.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
\u201cWe haven\u2019t even really talked about it and we\u2019ve just jumped into training and it just feels so much clearer and easier already. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt just comes with the more games you play and obviously hanging out and getting to know each other on deeper levels outside of training and just coming in and being a good teammates to each other.\u201d <\/p>\n
Hynes agreed that repetition was the key for bringing out the best in his partnership with Trindall. <\/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
Are the Roosters built for a title run? | 06:34<\/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
Trindall and his Sharks teammates were devastated by the loss to the Storm in the 2025 prelim.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
Premiership winning teams often have a settled spine, which has certainly been the case in recent history involving the Panthers, Storm, Roosters and Broncos\u2019 title winning sides. <\/p>\n
Hynes is confident that the combinations built up over a long time will hold the club in good stead when the whips are cracking at the end of the 2026 season. <\/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.\u201d <\/p>\n
With plenty of changes across the NRL where spines are concerned, Trindall believes the Sharks have an advantage in having a settled combination, who know each other\u2019s games inside out. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt doesn\u2019t take too long for us to gel when we get back to pre-season,\u201d Trindall said.<\/p>\n
Can the Broncos go back-to-back? | 04:53<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t have to do too much conditioning and when the boys come in fit and everyone knows their role in the team, that helps us just get straight into footy and hit the ground running ahead of a big season.\u201d <\/p>\n
Another element that will improve Trindall and Hynes\u2019 combination is the fact they have some rising young guns nipping at their heels. <\/p>\n
Trindall believes the youngsters are already ready to play first grade and are creating a competitive environment amongst the playmakers at the club. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a few exciting young halves coming through the ranks and pushing us hard,\u201d Trindall said. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got Niwhai Puru and Rizla (Riley Pollard), who are excellent young players and always willing to learn. <\/p>\n
Riley Pollard has impressed Trindall.Source: The Daily Telegraph<\/p>\n
\u201cAll the halves are working really well together and they\u2019re getting a crack in the starting team throughout training as well, so it\u2019d be good to see when they get an opportunity.\u201d <\/p>\n
Trindall believes it is part of a wider trend in the squad, with a number of exciting youngsters pushing the regular first-graders for spots and that healthy competition bodes well for the team\u2019s title chances. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s plenty of young guys training with us and putting their hands up,\u201d Trindall said. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe whole young group that\u2019s come in this year has been awesome and I think with the right timing and if an opportunity comes up, there\u2019s plenty of them that can definitely play first grade this year.\u201d <\/p>\n
Rugby to keep aiming to lure NRL stars | 01:15<\/p>\n
Trindall signed a lucrative three-year extension with the Sharks in November of 2024, that will see him remain at the club until 2028. <\/p>\n
That will take the 26-year-old to the verge of his 30th birthday and with 28 tries in 97 games for the Sharks since his debut in 2020, Trindall hopes he wears the club\u2019s colours for the rest of his career. <\/p>\n
\u201cI definitely want to stay here, I love this club and I don\u2019t really see myself playing anywhere else at the moment, so it\u2019d be good to stick around,\u201d Trindall said. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe big goal is to win a premiership with this group and that\u2019s what matters most to me. <\/p>\n
\u201cI also have some representative goals as well that I will keep to myself, but I just want to keep playing consistent footy for the Sharks and hopefully one day play a bit of representative footy.\u201d <\/p>\n
Trindall wants to be a Shark for life.Source: News Corp Australia<\/p>\n
Coach Craig Fitzgibbon has overseen a period of stability and consistency over the last five seasonsat the Sharks, but without a Grand Final to show for it, he is under pressure in a results driven business. <\/p>\n
Trindall defended his coach\u2019s style and approach, but admitted the boss knows the magnitude of delivering on their promise and potential as a team in 2026. <\/p>\n
\u201cNothing\u2019s changed too much since he started,\u201d Trindall said of Fitzgibbon. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s just building and looking to improve each week and each year and he\u2019s just happy that we\u2019re just moving in the right direction, but he knows this year is going to be big year for this group.\u201d<\/p>\n
‘I don’t feel like I’ll play at all’ | 01:33<\/p>\n
With 15 players coming off-contract in 2026, there is a feeling this could the last chance for the current squad to go all the way. <\/p>\n
Trindall admitted there is an unspoken feeling of destiny about the 2026 Sharks a decade on from the club\u2019s drought-breaking maiden title, but the challenge for the players is to channel that into performances on the field. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt feels like this could be our last shot with this particular squad, but we\u2019re not really talking about that too much,\u201d Trindall said. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re just ripping in with our training and getting ready to start the year strong. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s not been much talk about that, but the boys can definitely feel it.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"They are the most talked about halves duo in the competition and often not for the right reasons,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":452389,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[568],"tags":[2095,64,63,233672,230187,225668,233670,4565,233676,16709,230190,763,60613,11288,84257,233665,39271,27146,11249,4746,4466,22326,761,762,2041,2067,158,3369,233662,233675,233664,230193,233669,11368,198165,233668,46732,233663,233667,174133,168888,16205,159543,233674,230373,17989,233673,85,224652,233671,1080,230363,12101,26124,3712,22317,2614,233666,95039,106245,80790,19121],"class_list":["post-452388","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nrl","tag-america","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-chief-playmakers","tag-closer-look","tag-coach-craig-fitzgibbon","tag-critiques-partnership","tag-cronulla-sharks","tag-drought-breaking-maiden-title","tag-end-result","tag-flanagan-atkinson","tag-fox-league","tag-getting-ready","tag-grand-final","tag-halves-combination","tag-halves-duo","tag-halves-pairing","tag-linebreak-assists","tag-long-term-deal","tag-mark-st-john","tag-melbourne-storm","tag-mitchell-moses","tag-national-rugby-league","tag-nationalrugbyleague","tag-north-america","tag-northern-america","tag-nrl","tag-oregon","tag-phil-waugh","tag-playmaker-duo","tag-premiership-winning-teams","tag-pressure-stars","tag-productive-halves-pairing","tag-regular-season","tag-representative-footy","tag-representative-goals","tag-right-direction","tag-right-reasons","tag-right-timing","tag-riley-pollard","tag-rising-young-guns","tag-rule-changes","tag-running-five-eighth-role","tag-season-mate","tag-season-prospects","tag-senior-players","tag-settled-spine","tag-sports","tag-straight-prelim-final","tag-straight-preliminary-final","tag-sydney-roosters","tag-team-dives","tag-time-period","tag-title-chances","tag-title-run","tag-try-assists","tag-united-states-of-america","tag-young-fellas","tag-young-group","tag-young-guys","tag-young-halves","tag-young-players"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/452388","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=452388"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/452388\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/452389"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=452388"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=452388"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=452388"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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