Cronulla Sharks defeat North Queensland Cowboys 26-18 to snap seven-game NRL finals losing streak
Cronulla Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon has revealed how the club confronted the noise around whether $1 million halfback Nicho Hynes should be dropped ahead of the semi-final. WATCH THE VIDEO
The week started with people questioning whether Nicho Hynes should still be Cronulla’s halfback, but he proved on Friday that he’s the right man for the job as he and Braydon Trindall combined to snap the Sharks’ seven-game losing streak in the finals.
Hynes has often been the scapegoat for Cronulla’s losses, with legendary playmaker Greg Alexander suggesting on Monday that the Sharks should have considered dropping him after a poor showing against the Storm in the qualifying final.
The Sharks shot that down immediately and Hynes spent 11 minutes on Tuesday answering plenty of questions about the pressure he’s faced and how he’s dealt with it.
Most importantly, he answered those questions on the field with some classy touches on Friday night as he nailed five shots at goal in his side’s 26-18 win to book a date with the Panthers next week.
Trindall took control of the team with two tries and several highlight plays, with the halves combining better than they have all season after a difficult week for the club where their best player was attacked from all angles.
“We tried to block it all, but it was impossible. Phones were going off everywhere you went,” Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon said.
“How we dealt with it, we just walked in and didn’t shy away from anything at all this week.
“I haven’t seen too many people be able to deal with that and play like that. That’s why we believe in him. I feel he’s a developing player that’s got some elite skills.
“The most pleasing thing was the way that he and ‘Tricky’ played together.”
Sharks skipper Cam McInnes has always backed Hynes and doubled down on his praise after the game, declaring no other Sharks player will ever go through what the former Dally M winner has experienced.
“I’m hugely proud of him for the way that he’s handled it,” he said.
“None of us will ever probably go through what he has to.
“The way that he put himself in the team and didn’t care what anyone else was saying (was great) and he just wanted to do the job for us.
“On the flip side, we have to do our job for him. We didn’t do that last week but I felt we did it tonight. We were led by Tricky and Nicho, but I feel like everyone around them did their job as well which is the most important thing.”
The Sharks were brilliant in the first half as they raced out to a 24-0 lead and then had to grind away as the visitors stormed home.
That was the most disappointing thing for Cowboys coach Todd Payten who could see a path to victory with how they played after the break, but it proved too much with their defensive issues exposed in the opening 40 minutes.
“We’ve got to evolve, otherwise we’re a middle of the road team,” he lamented.
“We showed some flashiness but we’ve got to bite down on the mouth guard a little harder in the tough parts of the game for longer periods.
“We’ve got some ability, but we can’t pick and choose when you’re doing the hard stuff in the game.”
MATCH REPORT: SHARKS SNAP FINALS CURSE
Public transport may have been in crisis on Friday night, but the Sharks were a runaway freight train in the first half as they smashed their finals hoodoo and derailed North Queensland’s premiership hopes with a 26-18 win to book a date with the Panthers.
All the chat this week has been on their horror record in September with Cronulla winning just one finals match since their historic 2016 triumph, and whether their main man was the right option going forward.
But Nicho Hynes played with more confidence than we’ve seen in recent weeks with the halfback not dominating like his Dally M season, but instead choosing his moments as halves partner Braydon Trindall carved up.
The win ends a seven-game losing streak in finals and sets up a showdown with the defending premiers next week for a spot in the grand final.
TRICKY OR TREAT
Halloween came a month early for the Cowboys who could have started planning their Mad Monday celebrations at halftime when they headed to the sheds down 24-0.
The visitors dominated the early exchanges but it was unlucky minute 13 for them as Trindall earned his side a penalty try after he was dragged back by Reuben Cotter as he tried to chase his own grubber.
That set the tone for the most dominant 40 minutes of his career as the five-eighth played more like a halfback as he had the defence at sixes and sevens before the siren sounded to end the onslaught.
Trindall was involved in everything as he flicked a loose ball to Cameron McInnes who fought through to score before he received a miracle ball from the returning Jesse Ramien and dived over to score a stunner in the corner.
And when the Cowboys threatened in the second half, it was Trindall who calmed things down with a line dropout which then turned into a crucial two points to make it 26-12 when Scott Drinkwater’s restart went out on the full.
THE DEFENCE RESTS
The Cowboys were seen as one of the wildcards in the finals given their ability to score points from anywhere, but they folded in the first half as their defensive frailties were exposed on the biggest stage.
North Queensland finished the regular season having conceded the most points of the top eight teams, and their biggest weakness reared its ugly head with the visitors missing 50 tackles.
Valentine Holmes gave them some hope in his final game for the club when he scored early in the second half, and luck looked to be on their side when the Sharks had two tries disallowed.
Holmes crossed again to cut the gap to eight points with 10 minutes to go, and they should have cut the margin to two from the next set but bombed a certain try when Reece Robson sliced through but botched the pass as the Cowboys took advantage of a low penalty count to storm home late.
HEART-FELDT GOODBYE
The Cowboys have the cattle to be competitive in 2025, but they’re going to have to do it without two of their star outside backs with Kyle Feldt and Valentine Holmes both limping off in their final game for the club.
It was an awful way for Feldt’s NRL career to end, with the club’s all-time leading try-scorer helped off with a calf injury in the second half as he streaked away off a pass that was called forward.
Holmes then came off with a non-contact lower-leg injury having crossed for two second-half tries, with the rep star off to the Dragons next year.
RELIVE OUR LIVE COVERAGE OF THIS SEMI-FINAL CLASH BELOW
Originally published as Cronulla Sharks defeat North Queensland Cowboys 26-18 to snap seven-game NRL finals losing streak
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