Cronulla has delivered a supreme defensive performance to defeat the Bulldogs 24-6 at Accor Stadium in Round 27.
But the club faces a nervous wait as the NRL Match Review Committee reviews an incident that could have devastating consequences on their 2025 finals hopes.
Star Sharks half Nicho Hynes was placed on report for an awkward tackle that saw Bulldogs winger Marcelo Montoya leave the field with a right ankle injury in the closing minutes of the match.
Commenting on the incident for Fox League, four-time premiership winner Cooper Cronk feared Hynes could be set for a stint on the sidelines at the worst possible time of the season.
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“It’s going to be looked at,” Cronk said of the unusual tackle.
“The injury does come into play, it looks like (Montoya’s) season could be over, and that does come into play with suspensions like this.
“If I’m being put on the spot here, maybe one game, or maybe it sits beneath that, it’s a balancing act,” he said.
The Hynes incident came on the same day Rabbitohs half Jamie Humphreys was given a two-game ban by the MRC for a hip drop tackle on Siua Wong in Friday night’s local derby against the Roosters.
Should any form of suspension be handed down when the MRC charge sheet comes out on Sunday, it’s almost guaranteed the Sharks will contest it given the stakes.
The Sharks have never defeated the Roosters in the NRL finals.