Success isn’t about the journey but the destination, someone on the internet once said.
Awesome. I’m sure Oprah would approve. Cranberry-scented candle, anyone?
Success for the Cronulla Sharks this season will be defined by the matches they win in September. After being barrelled out of the finals for two consecutive seasons, just one will do.
Success for their halfback, Nicho Hynes, will be defined by what he does for NSW. After supposedly botching his one opportunity for NSW last year, he’s fast becoming the playmaker Michael Maguire will rely on most in this year’s State of Origin series.
Both claims are very presumptive, of course.
The Sharks beat the Storm last week without the injured Hynes and meet the Roosters in the match of Magic Round at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday, but there’ll be no heel-clicking in the Shire until some business gets done at the business end of the season.
Is Nicho Hynes ready to dominate Origin?Credit: Illustration: Bethany Rae
In the short term, Hynes must overcome a nagging calf injury that revealed itself at the end of the captain’s run before the match against Melbourne.
He remains touch-and-go for the Roosters’ match even though he got through Friday morning’s captain’s run in Sydney before flying to Brisbane with his teammates.
In the long-term, Hynes is yet to prove he can stand up in the headline matches; that he can get his team, whether it’s wearing the sky blue of his club or sky blue of his state, to their destination.
Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon, an Origin winner for NSW as a player and assistant coach, says Hynes’ persona as a Sensitive New-Age Halfback betrays his aggressiveness.
“But don’t be fooled: he’s got a streak of anger and competitiveness,” he said. “He gets the shits like all the little halfbacks. Through his journey, and his life, the ups and downs, he’s got a platform where he wants to help people. His way of helping is sharing. He’s so open about it. But there’s a streak.”
Hynes was chewed up and spat out by the spluttering NSW machine in Origin last year. He came off the bench with 12 minutes to go in the opening match, slotted into centre and missed a tackle on Queensland maestro Cameron Munster that led to the match-winning try.
It fed the belief that he couldn’t aim up in big games. He wasn’t picked for the rest of the series.
He returned to the Sharks and overplayed his hand. He’s not the first Origin rookie to take this path.
Nicho Hynes and Craig Fitzgibbon.Credit: NRL Photos
“He felt like he had to take everything on to prove that he was capable,” Fitzgibbon offered. “He over-did it. It wasn’t like he turned up and didn’t have a crack. He turned up and tried too hard. That was the first footy adversity he’d ever faced. It was a lesson for him.
“But he’s in a good space. He’s been a lot better at dealing with external pressure and controlling our team with far more clarity in his game.”
This season, Hynes has played with greater maturity and patience.
He might be a 27-year-old player, but he’s only in his third season as a halfback, a position that can take a lifetime to master.
When you’re a player blessed with natural skill, working out when to inject yourself into the play, and when to organise, distribute and kick takes time.
“I feel like he’s ready for the intensity of Origin,” Fitzgibbon continued. “He’s in a position now where he’s showing he can control games. It’s just his development as a halfback. The experienced halfbacks seem to be in better form at the moment because there’s a lot to take on. Nicho might be older in age, but as a halfback, he’s only three years in.
“If he’s got a clearly defined role for NSW that he can go after, he’ll perform well. I don’t know if he’s going to be picked, but I feel like he won’t die wondering during the game. He’ll have a go.”
That role is becoming clearer by the day.
‘That was the first footy adversity he’d ever faced. It was a lesson for him.’
Craig Fitzgibbon on Nicho Hynes
Nathan Cleary’s hamstring injury and fitness doubts about Mitchell Moses leave Maguire with few cards to play.
Even though Hynes is a predominantly left-sided player, he can play either side of the ruck. Who partners him in the halves seems to be the burning question.
If Hynes is picked, he will line up opposite Queensland captain Daly Cherry-Evans, who has, interestingly, helped with his development.
When the pair were in camp for the Kangaroos late last year, Hynes went out of his way to foster a relationship with the veteran playmaker.
They were described as “inseparable” as Hynes picked Cherry-Evans’ experienced brain about playing at representative level.
The Sharks meet the Roosters in the middle of a significant three-match stretch: Melbourne last week, Roosters this week, Penrith the week after.
The victory over Melbourne convinced many that Sharks are the real deal this season. Don’t mention that to the coach.
“We get some confidence out of it, knowing that we can get stronger,” Fitzgibbon said. “But so can Melbourne. Too early to take much out of that.”
Told that the Sharks’ season will be defined by what they do in September, he laughed: “It’s fair criticism of us, of where we’re at. I don’t know how anyone can predict what’s going to happen at the end of the year. We’ve been relatively consistent. There’s just so long to go. We have to get through Origin.”
So does his halfback. Remember it’s a journey, not a destination.
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