‘We believe in him’: Craig Fitzgibbon backs Braydon Trindall to thrive alongside Nicho Hynes after All Stars performance

Matt Moylan’s experience will be missed at Cronulla but a breakout showing in the All Stars games from a dynamic halves pairing showed they will lose nothing in attack.

Braydon Trindall showed in the All Stars game that he’s ready to make his mark as Cronulla’s long-term five-eighth. Picture: Mark Nolan/Getty Images

Cronulla coach Craig Fitzgibbon says he had “no doubt” that Braydon Trindall was going to play a key role in his team’s future, with the playmaker showing the club is in safe hands with a man of the match performance in the All Stars game.

After veteran five-eighth Matt Moylan moved to the Super League, Trindall, 24, gets his chance as a first-choice playmaker in the NRL having been in and out of the side since he made his debut in 2020.

Trindall finally got a proper run in the halves last year after Moylan was dropped following some poor defensive efforts and Fitzgibbon was happy to stick with him for the final seven rounds and the elimination final loss to the Roosters.

Under contract for the next two years, Trindall has the chance to forge a lasting partnership with Nicho Hynes in the halves, with the pair both winning the Preston Campbell Medal in the past two All Stars games.

Braydon Trindall grabbed his chance with a stunning performance in the All Stars game. Picture: Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images

“We were never in any doubt that he was going to be in our future,” Fitzgibbon said.

“One of my first conversations with him was that we wanted to keep him. I always believed he had the tools to be an NRL half.

“Throughout limited opportunities, he’d come in sometimes and come back out (but he’d always perform well).

“The guy understands how professional he needs to be with his preparation and how important that is.

“He’s training our team and running our team at training to help Nicho, and I thought he displayed that (for the All Stars).

“He’s done the work, and when you’ve done the work (things go well). We were never in any doubt that he was in our future plans. We believe in him.”

Fitzgibbon was pleased with what he saw from the pair on Friday night as the Indigenous All Stars claimed victory in Townsville, and he hopes the two can combine well after his side went down to the Knights in the pre-season challenge without most of their top players.

Trindall and Nicho Hynes combined well on Friday night. Picture: Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images

Trindall wasn’t even meant to start in Friday’s game but was rushed in after Cody Walker withdrew due to a calf strain.

Indigenous All Stars coach Ronald Griffiths told him to be himself but to be ready to step out of the shadows when the time was right, which is what Trindall did with two try assists in the wet.

“It was fantastic, I thought early on in the game he really controlled the pace,” Griffiths said.

“There was a special defensive effort, I think it might have been in the third quarter, when he came up with a chase back. Those are the sort of plays that win you games.

“That’s why he’s got that medal around his neck.”

Hynes and Trindall will get another chance to test out their combination with the playmakers in line to face the Bulldogs in Friday’s second trial.

“We have really built a good connection and combination and I think it will be good for us leading into the new year,” Trindall said.

“It felt awesome out there tonight. It’s been a good week and it’s really filled our (cultural) cups up, which is the main thing we wanted to get out of it.”