Sign up now!!! <\/a><\/p>\nBulldog grilled over Seibold pressure | 02:39<\/p>\n
SHARKS HALVES SHOW NEW SWAGGER AS TRINDALL STUNS <\/p>\n
The Sharks\u2019 halves combination of Nicho Hynes and Braydon Trindall has copped their fair share of criticism for failing to stand up in big games, but there were signs against the Titans 2026 could be different. <\/p>\n
Granted the Titans were poor defensively, but Trindall put on an absolute masterclass and Hynes wasn\u2019t far behind to tear the Gold Coast apart in a 50-10 victory in Round 1. <\/p>\n
Trindall had 40 run metres, two linebreak assists, four try assists and two tries, while Hynes had 75 run metres, seven tackle busts, two linebreaks and a classy double in a 22-point haul. <\/p>\n
Cooper Cronk believes there are promising signs about the Sharks halves combination that is different to what they have produced in previous years. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere is something about Trindall and Hynes this year that\u2019s different to the last two years,\u201d Cronk said on Matty and Cronk. <\/p>\n
\u201cI know it\u2019s only one game and we\u2019re not going off too early, but Sharks have got through the last two prelims. They need something this year. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey get to another prelim and fail, people are going to go, OK, this roster needs a shake-up.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a lot more swagger and confidence about Hynes and Trindall this year than there has been the last two years. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe scored two tries, four try assists. That is pure domination from a half in the game of football.\u201d <\/p>\n
Braydon Trindall and Nicho Hynes look ominous this season.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
Cronulla have both Trindall and Hynes locked up until at least the end of the 2028 season, meaning that while there has been plenty of debate about their halves pairing if they can work it out the Sharks have their long-term answer on the books. <\/p>\n
While so much of the attention is usually on Hynes given he is the bigger name, Matty Johns said that Trindall deserves more credit for improving his game, comparing him to South Sydney star Cody Walker.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was fantastic Braydon Trindall and I was talking to Josh Addo-Carr about it and we said, when you talk about the best halves in the game, Tricky (Trindall) never gets a mention,\u201d Johns said. <\/p>\n
\u201cOf course, he\u2019s probably not the most flamboyant. You look at him, he doesn\u2019t look like a really athletic player, but he\u2019s a pure footballer.\u201d <\/p>\n
While the Sharks have consistently been up there among the best teams in the regular season, getting past the final hump and qualifying for the grand final has been a constant challenge. <\/p>\n
It is why there is so much pressure on Trindall and Hynes to step up and own the big moments and while it is only early and came against the Gold Coast, Cronk saw enough last week to suggest they may have the balance in the combination just right in 2026.<\/p>\n
And if if they can pick and choose their moments better against the top teams, the Sharks are a real chance at being genuine premiership contenders this season.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe combined well with Hynes for a try, his kicking game is solid and I don\u2019t mind if one week Trindall dominates and the next Hynes dominates,\u201d Cronk said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a good balance for a half. Ultimately a good halves combination is about complimenting the other person. <\/p>\n
\u201cBring your strengths and make sure you\u2019re a good team player. There is some talk around whether there should be one dominant player, one free-flowing one. <\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t mind it that way, as long as they continually grab their opportunities when they come up.\u201d <\/p>\n
The Sharks will get no tougher test for their halves pairing than coming up against an in form Panthers side fresh off a 26-0 victory over the defending premiers the Broncos in Round 2. <\/p>\n
‘Trindall is a pure football player’ | 00:55<\/p>\n
SANDERS\u2019 BREAKOUT RAIDERS GAME AS STRANGE COMBINATION SHINES <\/p>\n
The biggest question mark over the Raiders backing up their stunning minor premiership was whether Ethan Sanders could replace Jamal Fogarty and it only took him one game to show he can. <\/p>\n
Sanders had 19 run metres, two tackle busts, a linebreak, a try assist, a brilliant solo try and then slotted the match winning field goal from 40 metres out in the Raiders\u2019 nail-biting 29-28 golden point win over Manly. <\/p>\n
It is the field goal in particular that stands out from Sanders\u2019 performance according to premiership-winning halfback Cooper Cronk, who was impressed by the youngster\u2019s poise under pressure.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh my goodness, five games, scores his first try, up against Jamal Fogarty former Raiders No.7,\u201d Cronk said of Sanders. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of things that says a rookie halfback might just hesitate and step back a little bit. Game on the line, runs the ball, scores the try. <\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then we interviewed him after the game and I asked him about the field goal and he said, \u2018Oh, I actually wasn\u2019t thinking about the field goal, but then I realised it was a quick play-the-ball and the Manly players didn\u2019t send pressure and I just went, this is an opportunity\u2019. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe fact that he summarised that in a split second, there is something special about this kid because most young halves will either think, \u2018I\u2019ve got to kick it at the corner or I\u2019m just going to spray one here because I could make it, I could win it\u2019. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe fact that he actually broke it down and said, \u2018OK, well that\u2019s a quick play-the-ball, I\u2019m near the 40-metre line. I can kick this. There\u2019s no pressure coming. Actually, I\u2019m going to have a shot\u2019.\u201d <\/p>\n
Ethan Sanders showed his class to win the game for the Raiders.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
It was a similar message from skipper Joseph Tapine after the game, telling reporters the \u201ceffortless\u201d with which Sanders nailed that moment was \u201cunreal\u201d.<\/p>\n
Coach Ricky Stuart, meanwhile, called it a \u201cvery, very mature\u201d performance from the young playmaker.<\/p>\n
There were question marks over the Sanders and Strange partnership given their relative youth and inexperience, especially when you consider the calming influence of Fogarty\u2019s long-range kicking game. <\/p>\n
But Strange looks more than capable of backing up his breakout 2025 campaign while Sanders, even if early, proved last weekend that he won\u2019t shy away from the big moments.<\/p>\n
It bodes well for a Raiders team that had been written off by plenty of pundits despite last year\u2019s minor premiership. Instead, it looks like Ricky has them primed for a chance at finals redemption.<\/p>\n
Saunders ‘something special’ says Cronk | 04:49<\/p>\n
THE BIG CHANGE IN PONGA THAT HAS KNIGHTS PRIMED TO RISE<\/p>\n
The Knights are coming off a wooden spoon season with a new coach in Justin Holbrook and a $13 million recruit in Dylan Brown with plenty of question marks over their chances coming into 2026. <\/p>\n
Critics suggested Brown and Fletcher Sharpe were both five-eighths and couldn\u2019t work as a halves pairing, but they showed the combination has plenty of potential in an impressive 28-18 win over the Cowboys in Las Vegas. <\/p>\n
Matty Johns was impressed by Sharpe\u2019s attacking involvement before he went off injured. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou can see he\u2019s just a special player,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s got a mile of confidence, he\u2019s got a mile of energy. And in that first 15, 20 minutes, he nearly scored three tries. He\u2019s got a try. There was another one disallowed, one that just ran out of the dead ball line. He\u2019s some sort of player.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat combination between Sharpe and Brown worked well.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe went off injured, but the first 20 or 30 minutes that he was on, it looked like they picked the right balance.\u201d <\/p>\n
While the Panthers and Storm both put the cleaners through their opposition in round one, they weren\u2019t the most impressive team from the opening weekend.<\/p>\n
Rather, Cooper Cronk said that in a round full of blowout scores, the Knights actually left a greater impression on him with their hard-fought win against the Cowboys. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe Knights were actually probably the best-performing team,\u201d Cronk said. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere were some big scorelines over the weekend in Round one, but in terms of who impressed me the most, I thought what Newcastle did was very good.\u201d <\/p>\n
Fletcher Sharpe impressed in Round 1.Source: Supplied Source Known<\/p>\n
The Knights\u2019 ace in the hole in building a halves combination with Sharpe and Brown is Kalyn Ponga at fullback and he was back to his best against the Cowboys after a disappointing 2025 campaign. <\/p>\n
Johns said Holbrook has his three spine stars playing to their strengths with a run first mentality within the Knights\u2019 game plan. <\/p>\n
\u201cI like the shapes that Justin Hulbrook had them running because Dylan Brown, Kalyn Ponga and Fletcher Sharpe, they are run first players and you want them running the football,\u201d Johns said. <\/p>\n
\u201cBut you don\u2019t run for the sake of it and the shapes he was setting up was the split shape. One under, one short. It\u2019s a running play, which gives you a pass option and that\u2019s the way the three of them were playing. <\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Ponga, it was a really good sign for Newcastle. Kalyn was barking on the field. It\u2019s the most I\u2019ve seen him up on his toes, and he was organising the attack into shape.\u201d <\/p>\n
Cronk was closer to the action than most for the Knights\u2019 win and was impressed by Ponga\u2019s involvement and how vocal he was, while he also stressed he has the ability to reinvent how fullbacks play. <\/p>\n
‘Most vocal I’ve ever seen Ponga’ | 00:50<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll back you up there I was sideline for that game in Vegas and it\u2019s the most vocal, demanding, best leadership performance I\u2019ve seen from Ponga,\u201d Cronk said. <\/p>\n
\u201cAnd we spoke about how he could sort of change the way that fullbacks play. He doesn\u2019t have to always be three passes wide. He doesn\u2019t have to be the guy that just jumps on the back of a linebreak. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe could be first receiver, second receiver, third receiver, main ball-playing kicker, and he did that. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe kicked the ball for a try for Fletcher Sharpe. I think he did it all and it was the best performance I\u2019ve seen from Newcastle in a long time.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t mind the energy that Newcastle played with too, because they had a bit of a point to prove Justin Holbrook\u2019s a new coach, and they played with some intensity and really took it to the Cowboys.\u201d <\/p>\n
The Knights now take on a vulnerable Manly side in Round 2, with the chance to win back-to-back games before heading home to Newcastle. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Braydon Trindall and Nicho Hynes showed they have a different approach from the last couple of seasons that…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":324884,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[175232,12587,175231,85,2652,175217,175233,169629,175226,29760,175227,93376,159106,8054,85372,39829,81276,175248,175247,175235,175254,175243,175216,144752,32664,175255,159123,8050,175214,83315,175215,89354,175221,175251,175242,62739,175224,175245,175234,122436,115884,175241,100760,31662,94267,175240,62753,175236,175237,159132,175218,13891,175219,148954,79730,144200,8061,167728,9492,13893,111,75636,139,64,13902,69,2659,175229,161326,175246,3654,175230,79717,175249,175228,79720,175250,175222,175244,213,175239,175252,175238,33826,59636,175253,175225,62758,25482,13883,175220,175223,70603,40877],"class_list":{"0":"post-324883","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports","8":"tag-absolute-masterclass","9":"tag-america","10":"tag-anthony-seibold","11":"tag-australia","12":"tag-australia-and-new-zealand","13":"tag-back-foot","14":"tag-ball-playing-kicker","15":"tag-bench-rotation","16":"tag-blowout-scores","17":"tag-braith-anasta","18":"tag-breakout-raiders-game","19":"tag-cody-walker","20":"tag-cooper-clarke","21":"tag-cooper-cronk","22":"tag-cowboys","23":"tag-craig-bellamy","24":"tag-dead-ball-line","25":"tag-dean-ritchie","26":"tag-defence-time","27":"tag-defensive-pressure","28":"tag-dominant-player","29":"tag-dropping-games","30":"tag-effort-area","31":"tag-ethan-lee-chalk","32":"tag-ethan-sanders","33":"tag-favourite-side","34":"tag-field-goal","35":"tag-final-game","36":"tag-fire-coach","37":"tag-fletcher-sharpe","38":"tag-fullbacks-play","39":"tag-game-plan","40":"tag-genuine-premiership-contenders","41":"tag-glen-lazarus","42":"tag-glenn-lazarus","43":"tag-gold-coast","44":"tag-golden-point","45":"tag-golden-point-heartbreaker","46":"tag-halves-answer-critics","47":"tag-halves-combination","48":"tag-halves-pairing","49":"tag-home-game","50":"tag-jake-trbojevic","51":"tag-jamal-fogarty","52":"tag-josh-addo-carr","53":"tag-juniors-meaning","54":"tag-justin-holbrook","55":"tag-justin-hulbrook","56":"tag-kettle-boiling","57":"tag-kicking-game","58":"tag-knights-impress","59":"tag-las-vegas","60":"tag-leadership-performance","61":"tag-lee-chalk","62":"tag-linebreak-assists","63":"tag-maiden-title","64":"tag-mark-st-john","65":"tag-matty-johns","66":"tag-melbourne-storm","67":"tag-nevada","68":"tag-new-zealand","69":"tag-newcastle-knights","70":"tag-newzealand","71":"tag-north-america","72":"tag-northern-america","73":"tag-nz","74":"tag-oceania","75":"tag-pass-option","76":"tag-premiership-win","77":"tag-pressure-building","78":"tag-queensland","79":"tag-question-marks","80":"tag-real-chance","81":"tag-real-game-changer","82":"tag-rookie-halfback","83":"tag-run-metres","84":"tag-sam-charlwood","85":"tag-special-player","86":"tag-spine-stars-playing","87":"tag-sports","88":"tag-step-let","89":"tag-storm-player","90":"tag-storm-rookie","91":"tag-tackle-busts","92":"tag-talking-points","93":"tag-team-player","94":"tag-title-push","95":"tag-tom-sargeant","96":"tag-try-assists","97":"tag-united-states-of-america","98":"tag-winning-field-goal","99":"tag-wooden-spoon-season","100":"tag-young-halves","101":"tag-young-man"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/324883","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=324883"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/324883\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/324884"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=324883"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=324883"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=324883"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/poster-fallback.png\"\/)
<\/p>\n