Cronulla Sharks halfback Nicho Hynes is demanding the respect the Sharks deserve ahead of Saturday’s semi-final against minor premiers Canberra, expressing frustration that the media often highlights their rivals while overlooking his team’s achievements.
Hynes and winger Ronaldo Mulitalo were fired up after Saturday’s elimination final victory over the Roosters, taking aim at critics who wrote off the Sharks before a ball had even been kicked.
The win marked Cronulla’s second week of finals success under coach Craig Fitzgibbon, bringing their post-season record to 2-5 since he took over in 2022.
Despite reaching the finals four consecutive years, Hynes says the media still refuses to give the Sharks the respect they deserve, often attributing their big wins to excuses rather than their skill and effort.
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“It’s just that no one ever gives us a chance,” Hynes said.
“No one speaks about us. It’s always anyone else’s fault why we beat them or if they’re injured or their players are missing or they didn’t play well.
“I don’t see it all. I know some of the players talk about it, but we just worry about what we’re doing, and that’s playing finals footy.
“We’ve been in the finals the last four years in a row now and still no one gives us a chance, so we’re still staying quiet and staying humble because we’ve got plenty on our mind so we’re not looking in the past.”
Riding a wave of momentum – having won eight of their past nine games heading into the semi-final – Hynes stressed that the only way to command genuine respect is by winning a premiership.
“Win a comp,” he declared.
“The only thing we haven’t done the last four years since Fitzy has been here is play in a grand final.
“We’ve made it to a prelim and there are probably 10 or 12 other teams that haven’t played a prelim in the last three years, and there are probably eight or nine that don’t even play finals, but everyone wants to write us off.
“We’ve just got to win a comp. If that’s going to shut a few people up, then we’re going to have to do it. Only one team has done it in the past four years, so hopefully we’re the next.”