Restricting Hynes key as Cowboys return to Shark Park

Fraser Barton | April 25, 2023

North Queensland know shutting down reigning Dally M medallist Nicho Hynes in round nine will be key to their chances as the Cowboys travel to Cronulla for the first time since last September’s golden-point thriller.

A Valentine Holmes extra-time drop-goal was all that separated the teams in week one of 2022’s finals series, which the Sharks would exit following their 32-30 loss to the Cowboys.

Cronulla’s form early this season has been patchy, alternating losses and wins until the most recent two rounds – in which they have recorded successive victories.

Hynes is the attacking catalyst for the Sharks, who have scored the second-highest number of points in the NRL through eight rounds. 

The 26-year-old has seven try assists already this year, in just four games played, and lies second in the NRL with 10 line-break assists.

Cowboys five-eighth Tom Dearden had high praise for the Sharks playmaker on Tuesday but said North Queensland have done their homework ahead of Thursday’s clash.

“They’re a really attacking strike team and and he’s very skilful with the ball,” Dearden said.

“We’ll be doing everything we can to shut down their strike and attack.

“His decision making is what makes him such a great player. He comes up with the right decision more times than not.

“Some of the tries he sets up and some of the balls he throws is something that I’d like to put in my game – it’s something that he’s really good at.”

Care in their own defence was evident in the Cowboys’ 18-16 win over Newcastle in round eight that snapped a three-game losing streak.

Dearden said that willingness to put bodies on the line has to be maintained if North Queensland are to improve on a 3-5 win-loss record that has left them 14th on the ladder.

“The most important thing is just turning up each game,” he said.

“We’ve had a few really scrappy games where we feel like we should have won and we didn’t.

“It’s about bouncing back and making sure we get that right because its coming to that part of the season where we definitely need to turn it around.”