‘He’s got nothing to prove’: Craig Fitzgibbon backs Nicho Hynes to shine after missing out on Origin

Nicho Hynes is ready to fire for the Sharks after watching his State of Origin replacement carve up for the Blues on Wednesday night.

Craig Fitzgibbon is adamant halfback Nicho Hynes has nothing to prove for the Sharks after he was dropped by the Blues for game two of the State of Origin series. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

A “bubbly” Nicho Hynes has “nothing to prove” in his first game back for the Sharks since he was dropped from the Blues side, with his replacement Mitch Moses stealing the show with a man-of-the-match performance in game 2.

Hynes returned to training this week fresh from Cronulla’s bye after he missed out on selection for the must-win Origin clash in Melbourne where NSW exploded out of the gates to level the series thanks to four try assists from Moses.

Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon isn’t worried at all how his chief playmaker will handle the demotion, with Hynes openly admitting last year how difficult it was to deal with his axing following a tough debut playing out of position.

Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon insists Nicho Hynes has nothing to prove after he missed out on selection for game 2. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

“He’s got nothing to prove, not at all,” Fitzgibbon said, with Hynes struggling to conjure much in attack on a night the Blues had to play with 12 men for 72 minutes.

“Mitchell Moses last night was fantastic and you’d probably assume prior to the first game, if Mitchell was fit, they probably would’ve gone that way anyway. He proved that right last night.

“Nicho’s got to get back to getting his Sharks hat on and going for that.”

The Sharks are looking to bounce back against the Bulldogs following on from their most recent 30-28 loss at home to the Dolphins where they completely missed the start but then fought back to almost steal victory.

It took one of the tries of the decade to beat them, with Hynes missing a sideline conversion after the siren that would have sent the game into golden point.

It was an unfair finish to the game given he’s kicked a magnificent 45/49 goals this season, with Fitzgibbon dispelling any suggestions Hynes was rattled by the miss.

The Sharks are looking to bounce back from their narrow loss to the Dolphins. Picture: Jason McCawley/Getty Images

“I feel like you guys (the media) are really worried about whether he’s worried about it,” he said.

“The 22 unanswered points in the first half (against the Dolphins) was the biggest issue, not the last goal kick that could have tied the game.

“As a goal-kicker, of course Nicho would pride himself on his kicking percentages.

“But as for an issue with him that you guys are constantly asking about, he’s OK.

“He’s walked in bubbly, he’s going OK and he wants to get back to good footy for the Sharks.”

Teig Wilton returns for Siosifa Talakai’s milestone game. Picture: Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images

The Sharks can jump back into the top two with a win on Friday night as they look to celebrate Siosifa Talakai’s 100th NRL match, and they’re set to receive a boost with edge forward Teig Wilton on track to return from injury.

“He’s an emerging leader in our team,” Fitzgibbon said.

“He’s not overly vocal, but when he speaks, he hits the mark. He’s a terrific defender and ethically sound. He just works his backside off. It’s good to get him back.”