Nicho Hynes has been dubbed the best player in rugby league by the man many good judges believe is the best player in rugby league, Cameron Munster.
“He’s the game’s best player at the moment with what he is producing and how he is playing and how much time he has got,” Munster said of Hynes. “It’s crazy to think how fast the game is, yet someone like that has so much time.
“He works so hard on his game, and he reminds me of ‘Slattsy’ [Billy Slater]: he’s always working on his game and trying to find ways to pick apart the defence. He knows what kind of person he is, what kind of player he is, and he sticks to his strengths.
“He is the best right now. I don’t want to put too much pressure on him, and I’m sure he’d try to dial that down, but the confidence and playing with that carefree attitude … the way he’s going about it all, he’s still got a long time in the game, which is exciting for him and the Sharks. I’m so happy for him.”
It’s exciting for the Sharks – but it’s also set to prove costly. Cronulla privately concede they will need to make Hynes the NRL’s next $1 million-a-year player to keep their man when his current deal expires at the end of next season.
Hynes was brilliant in his comeback game against St George Illawarra on Sunday, just as he was in his man-of-the-match performance for the Indigenous All Stars in February, his only other outing this season.
Nicho Hynes produced a playmaking masterclass in his comeback game against the Dragons last weekend.Credit:Getty
The form of the Sharks No.7 is good enough reason alone to feel confident they can get the job done against rejuvenated former Shark Shaun Johnson and his New Zealand Warriors on Sunday.
Hynes signed a three-year deal worth $1.8 million that keeps him in the Shire until the end of 2024, but the next deal, likely to be for four to five years, will nudge seven figures a season.
If Dolphins coach Wayne Bennett is prepared to pay more than $1 million a year for Jack Wighton to make the move from Canberra, what price would he put on Hynes, who is four years younger and a more popular profile away from the field?
The Sharks already have most of their squad locked in for next year, and nearly a dozen already locked in for 2025, which would mean any new extension for Hynes is likely to be back-ended.
Cameron Munster loved playing with Nicho Hynes.Credit:Getty Images
Munster says he knew Hynes was destined for great things when he made the call to leave Melbourne at the end of 2021. The pair lived together when Hynes first moved south.
When told some of Hynes’ teammates had also rated him the best in the NRL, Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon said on Saturday: “If you want to be a star player in the game, you have to deal with expectation and pressure anyway.
“When a peer talks about you like that, it can bring confidence as well.”
The Sharks held Hynes back as he recovered from a calf injury he suffered on the eve of the season, and the extra time off benefitted the playmaker, who was described as “out of this world” by Andrew Johns against the Dragons.
Johnson, the man Hynes replaced, has also returned to his devastating best and would love the challenge of trying to get one over his successor on his old stomping ground on Sunday.
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