NRL 2024: Nicho Hynes supporting recovery of Braydon Trindall, rough return date set for fallen playmaker

Nicho Hynes is playing an active role in helping resurrect the season of teammate Braydon Trindall. See when the crestfallen playmaker could be set to return.

Nicho Hynes supporting recovery of Braydon Trindall main

Nicho Hynes has personally phoned the manager of teammate Braydon Trindall in a bid to play an active role in helping resurrect the crestfallen playmaker’s season.

The development has emerged in the wake of Trindall returning to Sharks training for the first time since taking leave from the club after testing positive to an illicit drug and DUI 10-days ago.

Trindall will face court on May 17 with neither the NRL or Sharks offering a definitive date for his return to the field.

There has been speculation that he will be out for a minimum of four weeks with the Sharks five-eighth missing a second consecutive match against the Dragons on Sunday at a sold-out PointsBet Stadium.

Replaced by rookie half Daniel Atkinson, Trindall has begun professional alcohol counselling as he attempts to reshape his life as a professional footballer.

On the day that Hynes launched the Sharks inaugural Mental Fitness Round, his own personally driven initiative to be held against St George-Illawarra on Sunday, he spoke of rallying around Trindall.

Nicho Hynes has shown his support to his halves partner. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

“I’ve checked in every day with him to make sure he’s doing well and doing what he needs to do,” Hynes said.

“He’s not a big talker ‘Tricky’ (Trindall), so I’m just trying to get more out of him each day.

“He’s doing well. He should be back here training soon and getting fit.

“He’s got some good people in his corner, I had a good chat to his manager the other day about how he’s going and what things we can put in place for him.

“I’ll be doing everything I can to make sure his mental fitness is at a good standard so that when he’s ready to go and allowed to come back and play, he’s raring to go like he was in the opening rounds.

“It’s important to get around our teammate, I care about him as a human before the rugby league player right now and he’s just got too worry about getting his mental fitness level to a good standard so he can wake-up smiling.”

Braydon Trindall of the Sharks looks on during the round two NRL match between the Parramatta Eels and the Cronulla Sharks at CommBank Stadium on March 10, 2023 in Sydney, Australia. Picture: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

Mental Fitness Round is the brainchild of Hynes, a passionate mental health advocate who has spoken openly and courageously about his experiences.

“I’ve been a big advocate over the last few years with my story and speaking about mental health, I’ve spoken so much about it out loud, so I need to follow through with it,” Hynes said.

“I spoke to the Sharks and we got the ball moving quickly.

“It’s a perfect way to get the message of mental fitness out and I’m really excited to see where it can get too.

“Its what we need in day to day life. We need to be able to speak more about what’s going on in our mind.

Nicho Hynes launched the Sharks’ inaugural Mental Fitness Round. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

“There’s too many times in people’s lives where they haven’t been able to speak about it.

“It is a tough topic, but its not tough for us to stand here and try and promote the value in speaking up.”

In partnering with leading not-for-profit mental fitness organisation Gotcha4Life, founded by media personality and mental fitness advocate Gus Worland in 2017, Hynes ultimately hopes Mental Fitness Round grows to become an annual themed NRL round engaging all clubs.

“We tend to worry alone too much,” Worland said.

“We’re told to man-up and shut-up, well it’s time to man-up and speak-up, so to have people like Nicho stand-up and be vulnerable, if one kid listens on the weekend and goes I might tell Dad, my teacher or my coach how I’m feeling, that might change someone’s life completely and then all this would be worth it.

“Let’s hope in 10-years time this is something that every club does and that rugby league is the game that is a gold standard for mental fitness.”