What soft draw? Cronulla left Sydney 11 times in travel-heavy schedule

For all the talk about Cronulla’s supposedly soft draw due to the low number of matches against competition heavyweights, what cannot be ignored is the amount of travel the Sharks have racked up.

The Sutherland Shire side played no fewer than five times in Queensland this year, including Magic Round and a game against the Warriors in Redcliffe, as well as fixtures in Melbourne, Canberra, Tamworth and Coffs Harbour.

To appreciate how busy life became on the road for Sharks halfback Nicho Hynes, at one stage when he also had NSW Origin squad commitments, he only slept in his own bed once during June.

To put Cronulla’s travel itinerary into perspective, their 11 games outside of Sydney was nearly double the amount of times premiers Penrith had to leave the Harbour City. Parramatta packed their bags to leave Sydney just seven times.

The Sharks players were relieved to seal second spot to ensure they hosted Saturday night’s qualifying final against North Queensland rather than travelling to Townsville if they had slipped up in the final round in Newcastle.

“I don’t mind the travel, and I like getting away to different towns,” Hynes said.

“It can take a toll at the back end of the season, but we got most of the travel out of the way and at the start of the year and in the middle of the year. You just have to try and keep going.

“I think that whole month of June I spent one night in my own bed. This is my job, this is what I’ve dreamed about as a kid. If I ever complained to my family about not being in my own bed, they’d say, ‘but you wouldn’t have it any other way’, which is right.”