Cronulla are sitting on the verge of unwanted history, at risk of becoming the first team to lose eight straight finals matches during the NRL era.
Days after their 37-10 loss to Melbourne, Cronulla were back in the headlines again on Monday when Greg Alexander called for halfback Nicho Hynes to be dropped.
In a segment on SEN radio, the former Kangaroos No.7 suggested the Sharks should revert to Daniel Atkinson in the halves alongside Braydon Trindall.
Cronulla are expected to back Hynes and resist any changes for their do-or-die semi-final against North Queensland at Allianz Stadium on Friday night.
But they do need to find a way to win in the finals, with their last victory coming way back in 2018 with a see-sawing 21-20 win over Penrith.
Cameron McInnes and Nicho Hynes look dejected. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
“He’s their marquee man and their $1 million player,” Alexander said on SEN 1170 Breakfast.
“He must be under pressure to keep his spot in the side. The performance against the Storm over the weekend (was poor).
“Braydon Trindall and Daniel Atkinson had been doing a good job as the halves pairing and then Nicho Hynes came back into the side.
“There now has to be serious questions about whether Hynes gets a start. I would personally go with Trindall and Atkinson.
“If Craig Fitzgibbon says to Hynes that he isn’t their man for this game then that’s saying he has no faith in him being the man for next year or the year after that.
“Hynes can play footy but he’s lacking something and that’s confidence. He is hesitant at the moment.
“He needs to go back to 2022 and last year to watch how he used to play.”
Ciraldo denies Foxx saga a distraction
Canterbury coach Cameron Ciraldo insists Josh Addo-Carr’s cocaine saga did not distract the Bulldogs from their short-lived NRL finals campaign.
But as the curtain comes down on the feel-good story of the NRL season, Ciraldo is unsure whether his side’s resurgent campaign can truly be considered successful.
The Bulldogs bowed out of the finals on Sunday afternoon, victims of a 24-22 defeat from fast-finishing Manly in the second elimination final at Accor Stadium.
The result came at the end of a tumultuous 10 days for Canterbury, whose star winger Addo-Carr stood himself down from the game for fear of his presence sparking a media circus.
After further analysis of his roadside sample confirmed a positive reading for cocaine, Addo-Carr watched from afar as the Bulldogs controlled large stretches of the game, before falling victim to a late match-winner from Tolu Koula.
But Ciraldo did not believe the saga distracted from his side’s preparations.
“It’s hard to say whether it had an impact or not, (but) I thought we handled it great. Having a leader like Gus (head of football Phil Gould) was awesome for me and the playing group,” Ciraldo said.
“You always look at the playing group and think ‘How is it affecting them?’ They came to me and said, ‘This is not a distraction for us. We’re right to go.’ And it showed out there tonight how well they prepared all week.
“It’s a credit to these players and our leaders that they were able to shift any focus on that into getting the job done tonight.”
Ciraldo was also pleased with Addo-Carr’s replacement on the right wing, Jeral Skelton, who helped the Bulldogs take a 10-point lead in the second half with a try in the corner.
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It had been only Skelton’s eighth NRL game, and last before joining Wests Tigers next season.
“Jeral has done well for us every time he has taken to the field,” Ciraldo said.
Widely tipped in the pre-season for another bottom-four finish, the Bulldogs instead surged to their first finals appearance since 2016 under second-year coach Ciraldo.
New captain Stephen Crichton firmed as the buy of the season, and perhaps the most important signing in Canterbury’s modern history, while Bronson Xerri excelled on return from his drug ban.
Kurt Mann, Jacob Kiraz, Toby Sexton and Connor Tracey all enjoyed career-best seasons as the Bulldogs revamped their defence and captured the hearts of neutral fans across the league.
But after falling short of a top-four finish and then exiting finals in the first week, Ciraldo was unsure whether he could consider the season as successful for the long-time NRL whipping boys.
“Can you ask me that tomorrow?,” he quipped.
“What we’ve done culturally is a massive success.
“With 10 new recruits this year and what they’ve been able to bring to our program, what our young guys coming through the program changed the work ethic, changed the connection.
“Such an amazing turnaround by a lot of great people who worked hard. The season is a success in a lot of ways, but it is hard to think about it right now.”
Tigers pain becomes Brooks’ gain
Manly five-eighth Luke Brooks credits a tough night facing former club Wests Tigers for preparing him to shine on his long-awaited NRL finals debut.
Brooks broke a 4040-day post-season drought when he ran out for Sunday’s elimination final against Canterbury at Accor Stadium.
His first taste of finals could hardly have gone better, with the 29-year-old touching the ball in the lead-up to three of Manly’s four tries in a 24-22 win that books a date with the Sydney Roosters.
“It was a crazy game and an awesome experience – 50,000 fans here; it was so loud,” Brooks said of his finals debut.
Brooks had felt mentally prepared to perform on the big stage after a shaky outing against the Tigers in the final month of the regular season.
As was the case ahead of Sunday’s finals debut, there was plenty of anticipation surrounding Brooks’ return to Leichhardt Oval, the spiritual home of the club he represented for 11 seasons.
Maligned by Tigers fans for his inability to inspire a finals berth in that time, Brooks has admitted he felt nervous for the round-25 clash and subsequently struggled to assert himself on the contest.
The Tigers eventually sprang a 34-26 upset on the highly-fancied Sea Eagles.
But Brooks found he was able to shake the nerves ahead of his similarly highly-anticipated finals debut.
“(The nerves) weren’t too bad, to be honest,” he said.
“I felt like it was just another game, to be honest, just with a bigger crowd.
“I think (the Tigers game) came at the right time. Obviously it was a new experience for me and I probably didn’t handle it as well as I should have.
“I think it’s held me in good stead for these big games. I wasn’t too nervous going into the (finals) game, it definitely helped me.”
Brooks was one of a handful of Manly players involved in putting left centre Tolu Koula over for the decisive try in the final 10 minutes on Sunday afternoon.
Tom Trbojevic began the play with a nifty offload to Reuben Garrick, who found Brooks and the left edge ready to pounce as the Bulldogs hung back on the last tackle.
“It was a big play by Chez (Daly Cherry-Evans) and Turbo to run it on the last, especially in that field position and get the ball out to Tolu,” Brooks said.
“It was a great bit of individual brilliance to score the try and put us in front.”
Tom Trbojevic charges forward. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
Turbo good to go for Roosters rumble
Tom Trbojevic needed said pain-killing injections before kick-off and during the half-time break of Sunday’s epic win over Canterbury to get his injured shoulder through the contest.
But he insists that he can continue to play through pain in the playoffs as Manly set their sights on upsetting the Roosters at Allianz Stadium on Saturday night for the right to face Melbourne in the prelim final stage.
“It will be fine. Obviously, it’s a sore injury, so it is what it is, but I felt better in the second half,” he told reporters after the match.
“Not sure how I looked, but I felt better. They’re just sore injuries.”
Proud coach Anthony Seibold said the fullback’s toughness was an often overlooked part of his skill set.
“He’s fine. He’ll be right to go again,” he said after the dramatic 24-22 win.
“It was a real finals football game, the scoreboard was close, the Bulldogs were probably on top for the bulk of the game.
“We just hung in and the longer the game went, the scoreboard didn’t get away from us. I was really proud of the guys.”
with AAP
