Alexander calls for Hynes axing ahead of semi-final clash vs Cowboys

SEN’S Greg Alexander has questioned whether the Cronulla Sharks persist with star halfback Nicho Hynes for the remainder of the 2024 finals series after an underwhelming performance in week one.

The Sharks sunk to their seventh straight finals defeat after a 37-10 loss to the Melbourne Storm at AAMI Park on Saturday afternoon. Hynes, who was under enormous pressure to perform heading into the game, failed to register a line break, line break assist or try assist during the 80 minutes.

Despite qualifying for finals for the third time in as many seasons at the helm, Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon is yet to claim his first finals victory which has led Alexander to suggest a shake up in the halves.

“He’s their marquee man and their $1 million player,” Alexander said on SEN 1170 Breakfast.

“He must be under pressure to keep his spot in the side. The performance against the Storm over the weekend (was poor).

“Braydon Trindall and Daniel Atkinson had been doing a good job as the halves pairing and then Nicho Hynes came back into the side.

“There now has to be serious questions about whether Hynes gets a start. I would personally go with Trindall and Atkinson.

“If Craig Fitzgibbon says to Hynes that he isn’t their man for this game then that’s saying he has no faith in him being the man for next year or the year after that.

“Hynes can play footy but he’s lacking something and that’s confidence. He is hesitant at the moment.

“He needs to go back to 2022 and last year to watch how he used to play.”

Cronulla’s losing streak in finals dates back to 2018 with their last finals win coming six years ago which saw the Sharks edge past Penrith in a 21-20 thriller.

SEN’s Andrew Voss believes Hynes’ inability to perform on the big stage could impact the team’s confidence in their halfback and suggested a radical solution to help fix the problem.

“(Craig) Tugger Coleman, years ago when he was at South Sydney, they were on an awful losing streak during the dark days in the late 90’s,” Voss said on SEN 1170 Breakfast.

“He told me that he knew that individually, the blokes could play and he asked me to put together a tape of a clip of every player doing something well.

“Tugger sat the team down as a group and ran the tape so that individuals swa highlights themselves but everyone also saw something in everyone else to restore a bit of faith.

“They came out that weekend and won (so) Craig Fitzgibbon, it may be worth a try.

“This isn’t just for Nicho. His teammates need to be reminded that he can be the man.”

The Sharks host the Cowboys in a sudden death semi-final at Allianz Stadium on Friday night. The winner will play the Penrith Panthers in the preliminary final the following week.