‘I let the state down’: Nicho Hynes opens up on Origin debut, doesn’t expect to be picked for game 3
Nicho Hynes would love to forget how his Origin debut unfolded, but the Sharks star insists his Blues career won’t be defined by 12 minutes of agony.
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Sharks star Nicho Hynes doesn’t think he’ll be picked for the State of Origin dead rubber, admitting he felt like he “let the state down” when he missed a crucial tackle in his Blues debut in Adelaide that led to a challenging couple of weeks on and off the field.
It’s a harsh way of looking at it by the reigning Dally M Medal winner who was thrust into the centres and forced to play out of position for the final 12 minutes after Tom Trbojevic came off for a head injury assessment.
Hynes missed a tackle on Cameron Munster that led to Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow’s try that put Queensland in front despite being down to 12 men.
Hynes was inconsolable in the sheds after the loss, and things got worse with a loss at home to Brisbane a few days later followed by a humbling defeat in Melbourne where he had his worst game in a Sharks jersey.
That was seen as an audition for the NSW No. 7 jersey vacated by the injured Nathan Cleary, but Hynes was outplayed by Munster again, with Parramatta’s Mitch Moses earning a recall in the halves for game two.
The Blues were smashed in that match with the series now over, but Hynes isn’t expecting a recall for the game in Sydney despite catching up with Blues coach Brad Fittler after he scored a try and set up three in the 52-16 win over the Dragons.
“We didn't speak about Origin selection, we just spoke about how each other’s doing really,” Hynes said.
“He checked on me, I checked on him because I know he would've been going through a hell of a lot over the last week or so.
“I don't think I will get the call-up.
“I’d honestly love to wear number six or seven in the Origin series and show what I can really do in the Origin arena.
“But my main focus is putting this team into a position to try and win a competition and try being in the top four by the end of this regular season.
“I just want to be the best version of myself, rocking up to training with a smile on my face, going home seeing my mum and my little puppy, my mates, and just being happy.
“If I have to do that by being good at footy for the Sharks and not worrying about Origin, then I just have to do that.”
Hynes says his relationship with Fittler remains fine and hopes the finish to the game in Adelaide won’t define his Origin legacy.
“What can you do? He had a game on the line and if he didn't think I was the right person, then I’m obviously not the right person,” the halfback said.
“I'll just prove to everyone that if I don’t get a shot this time in game 3, then I’ll be the right person next year.
“You've just got to learn from it, you can’t let these things bring you down.
“At the end of my career, hopefully I can look back at this time and go, ‘You know what, that was the best thing for me’ and I’ve played 10 Origin games after that.”
Hynes “knew” he wouldn’t be picked for the must-win game in Brisbane, revealing he blamed himself for what went down three weeks earlier.
“The only thing I was really disappointed with was that missed tackle on Munster. I let the state down and the team down that day,” he said.
“I'd love to get another crack at playing in the halves maybe one day, but the hardest thing was knowing that I let myself down.
“I knew I was ready to make that jump to play Origin but I let myself down by probably not doing that work, maybe I didn't jump into the centres enough at training that week.
“I really pride myself on not leaving any stone unturned and I probably let myself and the team down by not jumping and doing extra work in the centres that week. I defended it like a half, I got up too much and was a bit tight.”
Hynes is one of the most mentally resilient players in the game having experienced more in 27 years than what most people go through in a lifetime.
His footy career has been the one constant, with the star half enjoying a fairly smooth ride that has reaped some incredible rewards since he made his debut with the Storm four years ago.
But this is the first time he’s had to deal with a major bump in the road, and Hynes isn’t happy with how he handled the Origin loss and the back-to-back defeats to Brisbane and Melbourne.
“It was probably my first-ever big test,” he said.
“Coming into the NRL, I've had such a smooth-sailing ride on the field. Off the field I’ve had my challenges but on field, I’ve just been on such a high for so long.
“I got off social media, I stayed away from all the noise so I got away from that.
“Internally, I probably let it get to me a little bit by putting on a brave face around my family and my friends. They probably paid the price for that by me being a bit of a punish to be around.
“Internally, I just felt the confidence slowly dripping and me letting the state down and then putting a performance on like in Melbourne, I was just sort of angry with myself.
“I just needed to get back to being Nicho and being the best version of myself and happy.
“I'm going to look back on this time and go, ‘You know what, I needed that to happen’. I’ll come out of this a better person and a better player. I’ll just keep working hard and getting back to loving footy.
“There's no way I didn’t love footy but I probably went away from watching footy or coming in and doing extra video. There’s no way I should be getting away from that because this is what I love.”
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