Hynes silenced at least some of his critics, playing his hand nicely to help lead the Sharks to a 26-18 semi-final win over North Queensland on Friday night.
Hynes' halves partner Braydon Trindall was the star of the show, having a hand in all four of the Sharks' tries and taking on the bulk of the kicking.
But what was equally striking was the way in which Hynes did not attempt to overplay his hand, after a week of questions over his ability to perform in big games.
The No.7 finished with less touches than Trindall, but kept the ball alive in the lead up to one try, put a bomb up before another and helped set up a Sione Katoa linebreak in the second half.
The Sharks go bang bang! 💥— NRL (@NRL) #NRLFinals pic.twitter.com/VrZCyWwuaFSeptember 20, 2024
The win marked Hynes' first as a halfback in finals football, as well as the Sharks' first victory in a finals match from seven attempts since 2018.
"We would try to block all (the Hynes criticism) out, but it was impossible," Fitzgibbon said.Â
"The phones were going off everywhere you go. How he dealt with it, walked in and then just didn't shy away from anything at all this week.Â
"I've not seen too many to be able to deal with that and just turn up and play like that.Â
"That's why we believe in him. He's a developing player who's got some elite skills and is getting more control."Â
With the Sharks usually frustrated by the scrutiny on Hynes throughout this season, Fitzgibbon cheekily shone a light on the No.7 when asked in the post-match press conference about Trindall's performance.
Hynes' halves partner Braydon Trindall going over for a try against the Cowboys. (Dan Himbrechts/AAP PHOTOS)
"Yeah, he had the highlight moments. Are we going to talk about his halves partner (Hynes)? I thought that were pretty good too," Fitzgibbon quipped.
"I thought the balance of the combination with him and Nicho worked really well. They just didn't get in each other's road, they used each other really, really well.
"Sometimes on ball, off ball, who was kicking. Tricky did the lion's share of kicking tonight."
Fitzgibbon insisted the Sharks' losing run in finals had not become an issue in recent weeks, given he believes the bulk of the squad have taken steps forward each year.
But he was happy to play the underdog card ahead of next Saturday's preliminary final against three-time defending-premiers Penrith.
"I wouldn't imagine anyone thinks we're going to win," Fitzgibbon said.Â
"And that's fair enough. Look at their record. They're playing for plenty at the moment. They'd want to finish that off before some players leave.Â
"We understand what's coming, but we're also excited for the opportunity to take that on."
