Cronulla Sharks head coach Craig Fitzgibbon has confirmed star halfback Nicho Hynes would still need to be on a modified training program if selected for Game 1 of the 2024 State of Origin series by NSW Blues coach Michael Maguire.
The likely Blues' halfback - who has come rocketing into contention after injuries to Nathan Cleary, Mitchell Moses and Adam Reynolds - wasn't able to play out the entire game against the Panthers on Saturday evening, which the Sharks lost heavily.
Fitzgibbon revealed that it was 15 minutes spent on the sidelines for a head injury assessment which caused Hynes' calf to tighten up, with the Sharks deciding not to risk the star halfback on the park after the break.
"He isn't too bad. Probably with the 15-minute time off [for a HIA], he cooled down and tightened up. I think he is okay, but I have to check. I haven't spoken to him or the medical guys yet, but I just got the message with cooling down he had tightened up," Fitzgibbon said during the post-game press conference.
It was revealed during the second half that Hynes has still been battling the calf injury which caused him to miss a game a couple of weeks ago against the Melbourne Storm, with it causing Hynes to be on a modified training program in recent weeks although the coach still wasn't 100 per cent confident about the extent of the injury.
"Yeah it has been an issue he has been carrying. Obviously it happened a couple of weeks ago. He has done well to get through last week and then was getting through tonight. It's still there, I don't know the severity of it, but it's not like it's completely gone or anything like that," Fitzgibbon said.
"I'm not sure. Even if he got through [selection] he would still have to be modified [training] for it [Origin camp]. I'm not certain of the extent, it was more the tightening up and cooling down than anything."
If Hynes were to be out of Game 1, then the Blues would likely be forced to turn to Jarome Luai in the number seven jersey, or another option like Chad Townsend or Jackson Hastings.
