Cronulla Sharks star Nicho Hynes has opened up on the exit of teammate and close friend Daniel Atkinson, who will play his final season in Sharks colours in 2025.
After starting the year in the NSW Cup, Atkinson had a breakout season in 2024. He made 19 appearances, playing in various positions but primarily at five-eighth, and played a vital role in the club reaching the third week of the 2024 NRL Finals series.
Despite his strong performances, 2025 will mark Atkinson's last at the club afterย he agreed to sign a three-year deal with the St George Illawarra Dragons, where he will transition from a backup playmaker to starting in the halves alongside either Lachlan Ilias or Kyle Flanagan.
Although the Sharks wanted to keep him at the Shire, several big names, such as Will Kennedy and Ronaldo Mulitalo, are coming off-contract at the end of next season, and due to salary cap constraints, they cannot keep them all.
Speaking on Friday at Sydney Children's Hospital Randwick as part of the club's Christmas Community Blitz, Hynes addresses the exit of his close friend and admits he's "filthy" about his pending departure.
"These things happen in rugby league sometimes, and I'm filthy about it, of course," Hynes said on Friday at Sydney Children's Hospital Randwick as part of the club's Christmas Community Blitz.
"He's a great person. He's a better person than he's a footy player and he's someone that everyone loves having around the club.
"It sucks to lose anybody but in particular somebody like Atko who filed in so nicely for us this year and is a mainstay in our team now.
"He's an infectious person."
The two are incredibly close to one another and have a tight bond that originated during their time together in the Melbourne Storm system before they moved to Sydney.
Starting with the Norths Devils, the Brisbane-born playmaker would make the switch to Victoria, signing with theย Melbourne Stormย on a development contract before followingย Dale Finucane andย Hynesย to theย Cronulla Sharksย after a one-season stint with the Sunshine Coast Falcons in theย QLD Cup.
Earlier this year, Atkinson spoke with the publication about his friendship with Hynes, in which he expressed his gratitude for all he has done to help him throughout his rugby league journey.
"I knew him coming from the Storm system, and I have a lot to thank him for," Atkinson told Zero Tackleย at the time.
"He has all the time in the world for ya even though his jobs are just as stressful steering the team around.
"He never says 'I'm too busy or can we do that another day'. He's always got the time to better everyone around him."
“These things happen in rugby league sometimes, and I’m filthy about it, of course,”
Why is he “filthy” ? Players move on for opportunity and more money. Nicho should know that: it’s what he did leaving the Storm for the Sharks.
What he should have said was “We’ll all miss him as a player and a person, but we wish him all the best”.