Nicho Hynes hits back of critics ahead of North Queensland Cowboys semifinal

Nicho Hynes has conceded he may forever be known as a player who has failed to win big games, but insists his finals performance against Melbourne was not as bad as made out.

Hynes has again become the most scrutinised player in the NRL in recent days, after slumping to a fourth straight loss as Cronulla halfback in finals matches.

The Sharks’ 37-10 defeat to Melbourne on Saturday even prompted calls for Hynes to be dropped from the halves by former Kangaroos Test No.7 Greg Alexander.

Hynes on Tuesday said he had not heard Alexander’s comments, but was adamant they did not faze him and that he felt halfback is his long-term position.

But Hynes did admit that he feared a tag of not producing in big games would follow him for the rest of his career, after Cronulla’s qualifying-final loss.

The Sharks were knocked out in straight sets in 2022 and in the first week of last year’s finals.

“It’s a tag that will forever be there for the rest of the career,” Hynes said.

“From 2022, I was still fresh and had only played halfback for 20 games. In that Cowboys (qualifying final) I felt like I played a pretty good game but we didn’t get the result.

“The Roosters game last year was similar, we only lost by a field goal as well.

“The game on the weekend was one where I probably needed to be better and I’ll own that performance.

“But as a team as a whole we need to be better. I think they had 73 per cent possession and completed 44 of 46 (sets) and we had 12 errors.”

Hynes said his biggest error in the game was failing to find touch from a penalty in the first half, but otherwise believed his game was not too bad.

“That’s probably the one thing that I can look back on and think that’s where I made an error,” Hynes said.

“I can’t see any other time.

“I think the ball found me on the last when we were on our own 40 (metre line and ran it), but I didn’t take the short side.

“I’m probably getting ridiculed for that as well.

“It is what it is. Everyone is going to talk about my game and the game control, but I don’t think we were in that game for a lot of it. Everyone will keep speculating.”

Hynes has deleted social media since returning from an ankle injury last month, and stayed off it more in 2024 than in previous years.

And the No.7 said he was unsure why he attracted more scrutiny than most other players in the NRL, particularly since he was dropped after the NSW State of Origin I loss this year.

“I don’t want to go on (social media) and search for someone to talk negative about me or positive. It’s just pointless,” Hynes said.

“(The scrutiny) comes with the job, it comes with the profile.

“All I try and do is wake up every day happy and try and make a positive impact on people’s lives and play some good footy.

“And some people want to bring you down for it.

“That is their problem. It is what it is, I can’t change that. I can only control what I can control and be a positive person.”