Nicho Hynes has been rushed into the Australian Kangaroos squad after Nathan Cleary was ruled out due to a knee injury.
Cleary sustained an injury in the opening minutes of the 2023 NRL Grand Final courtesy of a hip drop tackle from Payne Haas. Despite Daly Cherry-Evans and Ben Hunt being named in the initial squad, coach Mal Meninga opted for another playmaker with Hynes being added.
The Daily Telegraph’s David Riccio said this is a great chance for Hynes to prove himself on the big stage at the Pacific Championship.
“It’s a fantastic opportunity for Nicho,” Riccio said on SEN 1170 Breakfast.
“He was over the moon (when he found out) because he was on a holiday in Noosa.
“He left his phone at the hotel room while he was at the pool so he didn’t know that Mal Meninga had parachuted him into the team.
“Hynes was of the belief that his season was over and now he gets the chance to pair up with a lot of his old Melbourne Storm teammates.
“He set he learnt a lot in that PM’s XIII game with Daly Cherry-Evans and that’s where Nicho’s level has got to get to.
“He’s got a stack of development to come and it’s camps like these that will add to that development.”
The Daily Telegraph’s Michael Carayannis differs from Riccio and felt the Kangaroos squad were already covered for halfbacks.
Carayannis was dumbfounded that Meninga was unable to find a place for the 2023 Dally M Medallist, Kalyn Ponga.
“I don’t see Nicho playing,” Carayannis said on SEN 1170 Breakfast.
“I’m just very surprised that Nicho Hynes was picked over Kalyn Ponga.
“I could understand Ponga missing out on the original 21-man squad but when I saw Cleary pull out, I thought Kalyn Ponga would’ve been the man.
“He can cover fullback, he can cover the halves, you’ve got Cherry-Evans who’ll replace Cleary in the number seven jersey and you have Ben Hunt who is also a potential option in the halves.
“They have those positions covered.
“Hynes is an outstanding player but in the back-end of the year, he didn’t reach anywhere near the heights that we saw from Kalyn Ponga.”
Australia’s first match in the Pacific Championship will be a World Cup Final rematch against Samoa on October 14.