A refreshed Nicho Hynes is confident the lessons of past finals series will serve him well as he prepares to lead the Sharks into battle against Melbourne on Saturday.
Cronulla will travel into enemy territory desperate to break a finals drought that has seen them knocked out without winning a game in each of the past two years.
As the Sharks' halfback and biggest name, Hynes has received plenty of accolades during the good times and heavy criticism after losses since joining the club in 2022.
A Magic return from injury
It's external noise the 28-year-old has learnt to block out and he will run on to AAMI Park with a clear mind and steely determination to lead his team to victory.
"My headspace is great," he said. "I'm feeling really good. There are always lessons you can learn from those things that happen in your career. No one can say they had a smooth-sailing career and I've always come out better for it.
"I can look back at those times, give advice to the younger kids that are coming through and I can lean on the things that are happening in my career. I feel like I've been the most set up I ever have been right now for a finals series and I'll continue to learn and grow."
Match: Storm v Sharks
Finals Week 1 -
home Team
Storm
1st Position
away Team
Sharks
4th Position
Venue: AAMI Park, Melbourne
The intense scrutiny on Hynes' performances reached a crescendo after a 12-man NSW side lost to Queensland in the State of Origin opener.
The halfback was replaced by Mitchell Moses for the second game before he fractured his leg at Sharks training and spent seven weeks on the sidelines.
Hynes returned for Cronulla's Round 26 loss to the Warriors before he was near flawless in last week's convincing win over Manly.
Sea Eagles v Sharks – Round 27, 2024
The 2022 Dally M winner's teammates have often ridden the highs and lows with their chief playmaker, jumping to his defence in the tough times and praising him during the winning runs.
Sharks captain Cameron McInnes can understand why Hynes is one of the most closely watched players in the competition but declared he has what it takes to lead the side to a premiership.
"I'm always impressed with Nicho," McInnes said. "I don't need to tell you guys about the scrutiny he's under a lot of the time but he rises to the occasion every time in my opinion.
"Win, lose or draw, he attacks everything. We love having him and we're really glad he's back playing for us. We all want to do our job because he does his job and if we do our job to the best of our ability, it helps him."
Cronulla's finals woes have come down to crucial moments in each of the past two years, with field goals sinking them in both 2022 and 2023.
It's a fate the side's eager to avoid this season and they have claimed multiple close games throughout 2024.
Daniel Atkinson kicked match-winning field goals against the Storm in Melbourne and Knights in Round 24 and joins Hynes as one of multiple options if the game is on the line at the death on Saturday.
Atkinson the hero for the Sharks
While each finals series has been different, Hynes said he has learnt how important the finer details become during September.
"In certain moments of the game, it's about taking opportunities better," he said. "We've lose our two home semi-finals both years by a field goal so [there's a focus on] our field goal set up and our set leading up to that if we're in that position again.
"We're more mature, we're a better team and we've been around each other longer. We're better connected so I feel like we're in a better spot now than we ever have been."
