Nicho Hynes returned to the field for the Cronulla Sharks last night and it seemed like he never left as he put on a playmaking masterclass for the ages.
In 72 minutes on the field, the reigning Dally M medalist guided the Sharks to put on 34 unanswered points against the Dragons in the second half and ended the game with three try assists.
Speaking directly after the game, Hynes has detailed his return back to the footy field, how hard it was to sit on the sidelines in the opening three rounds and what he is expecting from other clubs this season.
"I knew it was gonna be hard and haven't had much game fitness, so I was blind a bit out there but it was just good that we clicked tonight," Hynes said about his first NRL season game of 2023.
"The first half wasn't good enough but we were still in the fight and that second half is just the standard that we should be playing at."
Despite playing in the All Stars game where he claimed the Preston Campbell Medal, Hynes suffered a calf injury during the pre-season.
"It's been like a slow process cause the tear or strain or whatever it was, was in a bit of a weird spot where it's near the tendon and if you go too soon or you go too quickly on it, it could go very fast," he said.
"So we just had to really just be careful of the kilometres I was doing each day at training and they put a really good plan in place that I could get to gameday this week."
"I haven't done a heap with the team but I've done enough so I can put on a performance like that."
Hynes has admitted that he didn't actually believe the calf injury was as bad as it seemed. Returning to pre-season training, Hynes wouldn't find out the real extent of the injury until after the Indigenous All Stars game.
"We didn't know how bad it really was. I'd done it like before I went back to pre-season."
"I got back from my holiday in America and I'd do a run and that's when it sort of I'd done it in and...we just had to make the process really clinical so I can be back playing footy at this time and so I'm not risking it anymore"
Anxious to return to the field, Hynes insisted that he was a punish to deal with while he was out on the sidelines. Eagerly wanting to return straight away, each game he missed took a bigger toll on Hynes on the sidelines.
"I would have been a punish to deal with. I feel sorry for the performance staff cause I was trying to push them and push them and push them."
"The initial stages of when I had done it a week before round one and then I was pushing for round one and two and they were like no we can't risk it cause it could be a very long extended time being off the field if we pushed it and risked it and it didn't work for us."
Thankfully Hynes ended up listening to the performance staff, which saw him not re-aggravate his injury.
Upon agreeing on a return date with the performance staff, Hynes stated he put his head down to work towards the match against the Dragons.
"So once I got in my head that righto we've got a plan to be back for this round, then I was satisfied. I was like I don't want to risk it."
"My head was clear on what I need to do to get back for round four and it nailed the whole process. So (I'm) just happy to be back playing."
Despite many people believing Hynes didn't deserve the Dally M medal last season, he has put his critics to sleep with an astonishing performance against the Dragons.
However, the star halfback who is nearing a contract extension knows that other teams will be on the lookout for him on the field.
Although Hynes states that if he wants to be a premier player in the NRL, he will need to adjust his playing style and will need to lean on his teammates.
"They'll come and they'll be doing their homework and they'll be coming after me and trying to put things in place to limit my opportunities."
"But do you wanna be a premier player in this competition? You need to react in the moment and come up with different things."
"If they're putting pressure on me and whatnot, there's some players around me that could take the pressure off me too."
"They're working extremely hard to be able to get into the game and stay in the game and have more options alive."
The goal for Nicho Hynes now is to lead the Sharks back into the NRL premiership picture. A surefire for a New South Wales Blues jersey, the Sharks will be hoping he can lead them all the way to the Grand Final and go two better than 2022.