Cronulla Sharks recruit Nicho Hynes knew what he was getting into after making the move away from the Melbourne Storm at the end of the 2021 season.
Hynes, 25, was one of the league’s most improved players last season, starting as a role player to eventually earn a place in the New South Wales Origin squad.
With his improvement resulting in a big pay day with Cronulla, Hynes understood that he had to be on top of his game arriving at his new club as one of their main men.
Coming from Melbourne - where rugby league players are often insulated from the media attention in Sydney and Brisbane - Hynes employed the help of a mindset coach to help him deal with the added pressure of playing for a big NSW club.
Joining SEN 1170 The Captain’s Run, Hynes told Cameron Smith and Denan Kemp that his move to hire the coach was to ensure he’d take another jump in 2022.
“Yeah, for sure,” Hynes said in response to if hiring a mental coach was due to his drive to get better.
“I just knew being in Melbourne, Smithy (Cameron Smith) would know, you don’t get near anywhere near as much media (attention).
“You can walk the streets and no one knows you, unless you’re Cameron Smith.
“Then, you sort of come to Sydney, there’s media sessions each week – there’s already been three this week.
“There’s a lot of newspaper writing about myself, I just thought you can do all the running on the field and all the weights in the gym, but if you don’t have your mental game right you won’t really perform at your best.
“I just wanted to take the next step in my career, if I wanted to do that I had to get my mental space right.
“I’m someone in the past that’s not been in a great headspace, I over think a lot of things, I just couldn’t do that coming to this club being a main guy.
“I just thought, ‘Why not get on top of it?’ … it’s a slow process, but it’s building nicely.”
Having kicked the winning conversion in the final minute of the Sharks’ Round 2 win over the Eels, Hynes says his good early performances have helped him feel part of the welcoming Shire community.
“The locals have welcomed me in really nicely,” Hynes said,
“When I walk down the street they say g’day and welcome to Cronulla, that kind of stuff.
“I just stick to a routine, I like to get up and have a swim in the morning.
“But when I’m out on the streets, it’s actually quite refreshing coming here knowing I’ve made a bit of an impact on this town and this club.
“Maybe after we lose a couple of games, I might not show my face as much, but no, it’s been good.
“It comes with the job, you’ve got to embrace it.”
Hynes has been named in the seven jersey for Cronulla’s derby against St George Illawarra in Round 3.
That clash is set for Wollongong’s WIN Stadium, kick off is set for 8:05pm on Thursday night.