Chaos as Nicho Hynes’ Origin selection call swings again

Sharks playmaker Nicho Hynes has been rocked by drama just hours before NSW announces its team for State of Origin Game 1.

Both men's face says it all. Photo: Fox Sports

Nicho Hynes’ fitness has taken another twist just hours before NSW announces its team for State of Origin Game 1.

The Sharks star left NSW coach Michael Maguire with a serious headache when he failed to play the full 80 minutes in his team’s loss to Penrith on Saturday night.

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It emerged on Sunday morning the halfback will undergo scans on Sunday afternoon, leaving Maguire needing to roll the dice on his fitness when the veteran coach announces his team on Sunday night.

The series begins on June 5 at Accor Stadium in Sydney.

Word initially dropped that Hynes would have to wait until Monday to get the test done — a development that could have forced Maguire to delay the announcement until Monday, AAP journalist Scott Bailey reported.

The situation swung again minutes later when Cronulla made the call to get Hynes’ scans done as soon as possible.

The drama erupted when Hynes was ordered to leave the field for a head injury assessment in the first half after an accidental knee from likely Origin teammate Isaah Yeo on Saturday.

Hynes was seen on his haunches in backplay before being sent for a break, but the news became so much worse when he didn’t return from the halftime break, citing a calf complaint.

Hynes wasn't in a good way. Photo: Fox Sports

Hynes missed the Sharks’ famous win over the Storm a fortnight ago with the injury and has mentioned he hasn’t been training at full capacity as he manages the complaint.

But in front of NSW Blues coach Maguire, whose options at No. 7 have already been limited by long-term injuries to the likes of Nathan Cleary and Mitchell Moses, another blow is the last thing he needs.

Even if Hynes’ injury isn’t serious, the question for Maguire will be whether he wants to take injured players into his first Origin camp — particularly if they can’t train with the team.

Post-match, Fitzgibbon told reporters Hynes was “not too bad”.

“Probably with the 15 minutes time off (for the HIA) he cooled down and tightened up so I think he’s okay.

“I have to check, I haven’t spoken to him or the medical guys about it but I got the message through that through cooling down, it tightened up.”

Fitzgibbon added that if he was selected for Origin: “Even if he got through, he’s still going to have to be modified for it.”

He added he wasn’t sure of the extent of the injury.

Should Nicho Hynes go into Origin despite the injury cloud? Photo: Fox Sports

Michael Maguire is living a nightmare. Photo: Fox Sports

The Daily Telegraph’s Phil Rothfield also reported Hynes is expected to be fit to play.

Citing a “senior Cronulla official”, Rothfield said on Sky Sports Radio: “They say Nicho Hynes will be definitely available for selection. If he’s not picked (for NSW), he’ll be fit to play Parramatta next week.

“What actually happened with the injury, he went down for a HIA and as he was cooling down in that 15min period, that’s when it tightened up and he decided not to go back out there and risk it. It’s not that he did it again.”

With incumbent NSW five-eighth Cody Walker ruled out of his final audition against the Eels as well due to a calf injury, it’s been a nightmare for Maguire in his first season as Blues coach.

Contenders and certainties for Origin such as Moses, Cleary, Bradman Best, Cameron Murray, Tom Trbojevic and Ryan Papenhuyzen are all sidelined through injury.

However, if Jarome Luai was still auditioning for a return to Origin, he’s put his best foot forward.

With 10 minutes remaining, the Panthers led 42-0, with Luai having run for 107m in 13 runs, a try, a try assist, two line breaks and two line break assists, as well as nine tackle breaks in his best performance of the season.