Nicho Hynes needs to step in the big games as debate raged over whether the Sharks have earned respect amid their failure to deliver in finals under Craig Fitzgibbon.
The Sharks have been a consistent top four side under Fitzgibbon but have failed to consistently beat the top teams and are 0-3 in the finals over the last three seasons.
“Fitzy said they need to earn respect and for me it felt like from that press conference he doesn’t feel the Sharks get enough respect from the media and opposition,” Braith Anasta said on NRL 360.
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Sharks must earn ‘respect’ in big games | 03:05
Brent Read believes the Sharks won’t get the respect they deserve until they deliver on the finals stage.
“I don’t think they have earned it though,” Read said.
“They have been bundled out of the finals the last couple of years.
“They have done really well in the regular season, but when the whips are cracking they have gone missing.”
However, Phil Rothfield believes the Sharks deserve more respect after thrashing Manly on their home soil in Round 27.
“They weren’t missing yesterday at Brookvale,” Rothfield said.
“You were there on the sideline. They wiped Manly off the park.
“What do they have to do to get respect?”
“They were brilliant, defensively they were magnificent,” Read replied.
“They need to win some finals games. It’s pretty simple.”
Gorden Tallis believes the Sharks struggled to match it with the elite teams in the middle of the season, which ultimately cost them a top two finish.
“It was those five games in the middle of the year when they had Penrith and Storm and all those sides, that’s when you have got to step up,” Tallis said.
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However, Rothfield believes the Sharks and star playmaker Hynes are unfairly criticised.
“They beat the Storm this year,” Rothfield said.
“It is the same old story. Everyone is underrating this football club. And Fitzy spoke about it very well. They are quite happy. It is driving them.
“When they run onto the football field they think, no one gives us a hope. The same with Nicho Hynes. Everyone is bagging Nicho.”
However, Anasta believes the criticism is warranted until the Sharks and Hynes deliver when it counts.
“I love that, but it doesn’t matter unless they win this week and they do damage in the finals,” Anasta said.
“You earn respect by winning finals games and winning premierships.”
“But you also win respect by making the top four and they are a top four side,” Rothfield offered.
Anasta believes the Sharks have the chance to make a dent in the finals with nobody giving them much hope.
“They are a great team and they deserve to be there,” Anasta said.
“There is no denying that. They have had a really good year. And you know what, they have gone under the radar and they are a little bit underrated.”
Nathan Cleary on track for finals return | 02:27
Rothfield believes Hynes has put the team first after returning from injury into a winning side and that has hurt his individual stats.
“Everyone’s saying Nicho Hines is quiet, okay?” Rothfield said.
“Million dollar player, quiet. You know what Craig Fitzgibbon said to him when he came back two weeks ago? There’d won five in a row, he said, just ease yourself back into the football side. Don’t try and dominate. Don’t try and do everything.
“And that’s why he’s been a little bit quiet. He’s actually put a team first.”
However, Tallis believes it was Sharks playmaker Braydon Trindall and not Hynes that stood up against Manly to win the game.
“I get it, but I called that game yesterday and there was 18 minutes to go and the game was still in the balance,” Tallis said
“It could have went either way, right? And I said, this is the part where Nicho’s just got to stand up and grab the game by the throat.
“I thought Trindall was absolutely outstanding. But that’s why the questions get asked.”
However, Rothfield believes Hynes has allowed Trindall to shine by taking a back seat to put the team first.
“But Trindall has done such a terrific job in his (Hynes) absence,” Rothfield said.
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“Nicho came back determined not to interrupt the flow of the football side.
“To step in and I have no doubt whatsoever that as this final series progresses Hynes will come into his own.”
“Should they swap pay packets, Buzz?” Tallis quipped.
“Well, it’s a very good point, you make,” Rothfield replied.
“Can I swap with your Gordy?”
Read believes the Sharks deserve plenty of credit for their output in the regular season, but the finals are a different ball game.
“The point is you talk about earning respect and, look, everyone respects what they do,” Read said.
“They’re a magnificently coached football team, right? They’re so well-drilled, so well-coached.
“But at finals time, they haven’t found another gear.
“Nicho hasn’t found another gear in big games. That’s what’s absent. That’s what’s going to stop them. And until they find that gear, that’s what’s going to halt their charge in the finals.”
“Nicho is an amazing player, but if he wants to get to that elite level, he’s got to win the big games,” Anasta concluded.
