NRL 2024: Cronulla Sharks 42 defeat North Queensland Cowboys 6

Sharks captain Nicho Hynes was in fine form against the hapless Cowboys in round 7, making him a serious option for NSW’s five-eighth spot.

Nicho Hynes put on a masterclass. Picture: NRL Photos

A flawless performance from Nicho Hynes has steered Cronulla to a 42-6 rout of North Queensland and reclaim top spot on the NRL ladder.

Having started the round leading the league, the Sharks watched Melbourne, the Dolphins, then Penrith jump them temporarily with wins earlier in the weekend.

But the Sharks surged back to pole position with a clinical beat down of a Cowboys side champion five-eighth Brad Fittler described as “embarrassing.”

And it was Hynes who was at the centre of it, setting up three tries by showing his full range of kicking and passing that had the heaving home crowd of 12,415 at PointsBet Stadium in raptures.

The Sharks made just two errors the entire game, got two tries each from Braydon Trindall and Ronaldo Mulitalo.

Nicho Hynes put on a masterclass. Picture: NRL Photos

BLACK, WHITE AND SKY BLUE

Could Hynes be the answer at five-eighth for new Blues coach Michael Maguire?

With incumbent Cody Walker hopelessly out of form and Eels star Mitchell Moses on a long-term injury list, Hynes shapes as a serious contender alongside Jarome Luai to wear the No.6 for Game I.

Hynes’ right boot setup tries for debutant Sam Stonestreet and Braydon Trindall, while the halfback also came up with a superb pass for Mulitalo in the second half.

“He has days like there, where it’s bordering on sheer perfection,” former NSW coach Phil Gould said of Hynes on Channel 9.

Should Hynes maintain this form, the Sharks No.7 could well have the opportunity to redeem his disappointing Origin experience of last year when he only had a cameo off the bench.

Sam Stonestreet had a dream debut for the Sharks. Picture: NRL Imagery

STREETS TO SPOTLIGHT

For a Sharks tragic, it was a fairytale debut you could only dream of.

After soaring in the air to defuse a soaring kick with his first touch, Stonestreet soon capped off his first NRL game with his first try right in front of hundreds of his fans in the southwest corner.

Braydon Trindall’s cross field kick was tapped back by Jesse Ramien to Jack Williams, who quickly threw it wide into the waiting arms of the 21-year-old winger.

And the De La Salle Caringbah product knew exactly who to celebrate with, running straight to the corner where friends and family wearing game-day T-shirts wildly erupted.

COWBOYS NOT MEN

The Cowboys were badly shown up by the Sharks. Picture: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images

So relentless was the Sharks’ dominance in the middle that it felt like men against boys for most of the evening, rendering the Cowboys’ forwards powerless.

Veteran forwards Jason Taumalolo and Jordan McLean registered just six carries between them in their opening stints for just 47 metres. McLean’s first touch in his second stint was a dropped ball.

While not alone, their lacklustre showings, could prompt coach Todd Payten into inserting New Zealand representative Griffin Neame in the starting line-up for next week’s clash against Penrith.

But the most damning moment may be Ronaldo Mulitalo’s try midway through the second half, when the Sharks winger was allowed to run along the dead ball line to score under the posts.

Not one Cowboys player attempted to stop Mulitalo scoring wider.

“No one reacted. That’s embarrassing,” Fittler said.