Of all the weeks to not cop a head knock in the first two minutes of a match, the penultimate weekend in September would be very high on Nicho Hynesā€™ list.
To then watch his opposing halfback, Daly Cherry-Evans, set up a try and kickstart a thumping 46-10 Roosters win at home, only made it harder to take.
Hynesā€™ night lasted just 90 seconds, cut short in cruel fashion after he failed a head injury assessment following a tackle gone wrong on Cronullaā€™s fourth of the night.
Rightly or wrongly, Hynes is arguably the most maligned player in the NRL. For all his sharp work in the regular season ā€“ he has a 67 per cent winning record across his NRL career ā€“ he is judged on finals form and criticised for an inability to deliver the Sharks to a grand final.
Whatā€™s worse though: having a bad game or barely being able to be involved?
Both are awful propositions for professional athletes who obsess over success, but the latter was Hynesā€™ sad reality as he stared blankly towards the Allianz Stadium turf from the bench during the first half.
Not because of the sore head from a tackle gone wrong with Salesi Foketi. But because he was left wondering whether this was going to be the anticlimactic end to another season as the Sharksā€™ marquee million-dollar man.
Hynesā€™ finals record is quickly wheeled out whenever Cronulla stumble in September ā€“ four wins from 10 matches as a starting halfback since 2022 ā€“ but Saturdayā€™s match should barely count against him.
Cameras panned to Hynes at half-time, with his side trailing 18-10, and he looked understandably glum.
It brought back memories of the day Wallabies star Matt Giteau was pulled off 25 minutes into the 2015 World Cup final, a match Australia went on to lose 34-17 to the All Blacks. It was Giteauā€™s last chance to lift the Webb Ellis Cup.
Giteau gave his coach that day, Michael Cheika, a gobful in the sheds at half-time.
On Saturday, Cheika sat in the Roostersā€™ coaching box alongside Trent Robinson, knowing full well the significance of Hynesā€™ absence as the Roosters powered towards a preliminary final against the Dolphins next Friday.
If there is a silver lining for Hynes, as insignificant as it may feel, at least he wonā€™t be blamed for the Sharksā€™ failure to make a third preliminary final in as many years.
He has grown tired of the narrative that dogs him, but that comes with the territory when you are the million-dollar halfback at a club desperate to turn consistency into a premiership.
This will hurt in a different way to the straight-sets exit of 2022, or the back-to-back preliminary final heartbreak of 2024 and 2025.
Most clubs would kill for such consistency. The Sharks would trade plenty of it for another premiership, 10 years after their breakthrough triumph.
Cronulla No.6 Braydon Trindall was superb in Hynesā€™ absence, but Cherry-Evans fired his bullets when they mattered.
His long, looping pass for Mark Nawaqanitawaseā€™s 62nd-minute try put the result beyond doubt and made the final quarter a tough watch for a Sharks contingent far greater than the one that turned up for last weekā€™s clash with Newcastle at the same venue.
With Mad Monday plans potentially beginning to creep into the mind, the Sharks wilted as the Roosters unleashed their attacking weapons at frightening speed.
When the passes stick and defenders are left bamboozled, the Roosters are a joy to watch.
Nawaqanitawaseā€™s swan dive for his second try, nine minutes from full-time, was straight out of the rugby playbook. Even Giteau would have been impressed.
His impending switch back to rugby will have to wait another week. Maybe two, if his Roosters teammates continue to hold up their end of the bargain.
Cam McInnesā€™ final touch for the Sharks ā€“ he is heading to the York City Knights ā€“ was a knock-on. It summed up their night.
Cronullaā€™s roster is evolving and there will inevitably be questions about whether their premiership window is beginning to close. One could argue it certainly has.
Hynes, though, is contracted until 2029. He will dust himself off and come back for another crack.
It was just a shame that he had to shake Cherry-Evansā€™ hand at full-time wearing a crisp Sharks polo rather than a dirty jersey.
Tom Decent is the chief sports writer for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X or email.From our partners
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