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Buy of the year: Addin Fonua-Blake celebrates his Sharks debut with a try as Cronulla rout the Raiders

The buy of the year debate could be over after Addin Fonua-Blake showed just how important he’ll be for the Sharks in 2025.

Martin Gabor
3 min read
February 13, 2025 - 9:52PM
NewsWire
Speed to BURN - Weekes full field effort

Sharks fans can rest easy despite Nicho Hynes having ice on his right groin as Addin Fonua-Blake showed why he’s been touted as one of the greatest signings in club history and the man capable of taking them from a finals side to a genuine premiership threat.

The Tongan tormentor stepped his way through the line and powered his way over five minutes into the second half as Cronulla overcame a slow start to beat the Raiders 40-10 as Hynes showed glimpses of his best before he came off for a scheduled break and had no injury concerns despite sporting an ice pack.

The field dimensions may have been a bit smaller to prepare the players for Allegiant Stadium, but that didn’t stop livewire fullback Kaeo Weekes from finding the space he needed to set up the try of the pre-season on Thursday.

Weekes has a mortgage on the No.1 jersey this year and showed off his blistering speed as he turned a good kick into the first points of the night with a run that will remind teams to present an unbroken line in defence.

The Raiders fullback collected the ball on his own line, sprinted around Nicho Hynes and then stepped in between two would-be defenders before he put on the afterburners and linked up with Ethan Strange who finished it off.

Combinations

Hynes and Braydon Trindall didn’t get to play as many games together last year as Sharks fans would have liked, but they showed their potential with both playmakers scoring off kicks.

Injuries and a suspension kept them apart for long stretches last season, but the signs are promising that these two could be one of the most potent pairings in the NRL.

Hynes showed off some of the form that saw him win the Dally M Medal with a couple of lovely passes to Samuel Stonestreet who scored one and butchered another, while both halves scored tries off kicks as the Sharks ran away with it.

Hynes took the first shot at goal but Trindall replaced him after that in a sign the Sharks might not have settled on their kicker just yet.

Recruit Watch

The Sharks have been one of the top teams ever since Craig Fitzgibbon took over, and he may have found the missing piece of the puzzle that will take them a step further in their pursuit of a title.

Fonua-Blake didn’t do anything out of the ordinary in the first half, but the two-time Dally M prop of the year dazzled with a trademark try to start the second-half procession.

He finished with eight runs for 92 metres and can be the difference maker for a team that has been crying out for a superstar enforcer in the middle who can also score tries for fun.

Rookie Watch 

There’s a spot in the backline ready to be snapped up given we know Albert Hopoate won’t be going to Las Vegas, and Savelio Tamale did his chances no harm with a couple of nice involvements in the first half.

Dragons fans were disappointed to see the talented young gun leave after one game in the top grade, and he showed his versatility with a nice kick return, some tough carries and a strong challenge in the air which forced an error and led to a Seb Kris try.

A nasty head clash saw Jed Stuart split open late in the game, while Chris Vea’ila looks to be a star of the future after he almost scored one of the greatest tries of all time before he crossed a minute later.

Nicho Hynes is going to set up plenty of tries for the Sharks this season. Picture: Mark Nolan/Getty Images
Nicho Hynes is going to set up plenty of tries for the Sharks this season. Picture: Mark Nolan/Getty Images

Hot Take

The Sharks will be in the top two for points scored this season, with the recently-resigned Ronaldo Mulitalo crossing for at least 20 tries.

Final Say 

There’ll be plenty of footy fans rolling the dice in Vegas next month, but they won’t want to see too many rolled balls after another night where both teams were guilty of incorrect play the balls.

The officials were all over it on Thursday and we’re likely to see plenty more infringements this weekend if the players don’t adapt to the crackdown.

Originally published as Buy of the year: Addin Fonua-Blake celebrates his Sharks debut with a try as Cronulla rout the Raiders

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Original URL: https://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/sport/nrl/buy-of-the-year-addin-fonuablake-celebrates-his-sharks-debut-with-a-try-as-cronulla-rout-the-raiders/news-story/86771ca6c508fe312eb72fa3a1ebe6a3