'Got the help I needed': Painful lesson driving Trindall to repay teammates

The pain of letting down his teammates is driving Braydon Trindall's bid to lead the Sharks to the NRL grand final just five months after he was suspended for an off-field indiscretion.

The playmaker sat out five matches and earlier in the season being stood down following for a positive drug test while driving. 

Trindall has been determined to earn back his side's trust in the weeks since, culminating in Friday's man of the match performance in the Sharks' semi-final victory over the Cowboys. 

The playmaker, however, still has two more games in his sights and is determined to play another starring role in next week's preliminary final against the Panthers.

"It was a tough time but I went and sorted myself out and got the help I needed," Trindall said. "I wanted to get back and earn the trust back from the squad. I think I’m starting to do that.

"When I was going through it I was just trying to take the positives out of it and I was just trying to earn the trust back. I fought hard, worked hard for it behind the scenes and now it’s paying off."

Cronulla coach Craig Fitzgibbon has been impressed with Trindall's response, the five-eighth owning up to his mistake and working hard to make amends. 

Trindall's role in the team expanded greatly soon after his return from suspension, with Nicho Hynes fracturing his leg and missing six matches.

The playmaker stepped into halfback and guided the side through a challenging mid-season period and into the top four. 

It was exactly what Fitzgibbon had hoped to see and he backed Trindall to deliver again for his team next week. 

"It really hurt him, for obvious reasons and so it should have," Fitzgibbon said. "Once again, he took responsibility for that and he's done nothing other than try and repay the team. 

"He's a bubbly infectious guy and he gives you a certain energy. He's calm, he's confident and he's a wonderful player. He's in his infancy too, he's only just getting started."

Trindall's combination with Hynes has been a work in progress through much of the season. Injuries and suspension have seen the pair play together in just 13 matches this year.

Friday's performance showed they are on the right track with the duo finding a perfect balance to play their natural games. 

Trindall took on the bulk of the kicking duties, pinning the Cowboys deep in their own half while Hynes was left to run freely and attack a retreating defence.

The halfback said it was their best performance together in months and he's confident the combination will continue to improve as they spend more time on the field together. 

"We've just got to keep building and stay connected," Hynes said. "The balance is at a really good point right now, he's kicking really well. I can't come back in the team and demand to do everything, it wouldn't suit our game play. Right now, what's suiting our game play is him taking a bit more control and we're balancing it out. 

"I'm really proud of him. [The incident] at the beginning of the year could've sunk him and derailed our season. He had some harsh realities back then that he had to go through and not play for a few weeks when we were on fire. 

"We won seven in a row and unfortunately he wasn't a part of some of those games. He got back in, worked hard and now look at him playing. I'm really proud of him."