Nicho Hynes has claimed that it would be ‘a dream’ of his to be selected for New South Wales as speculation persists over Brad Fittler’s team.
The Dally M winner has been pushing for a debut for the Blues in the upcoming State of Origin series.
He’s quickly become one of the faces of the games and arguably one of the best halves in the league.
However, with a pairing of Jarome Luai and Nathan Cleary that carries over from their playing time in the Penrith Panthers, Hynes faces potentially not being selected.
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While he had a disappointing time over the weekend against the Dolphins, he’s proved to still be one of the best players this year as the Sharks occupy a top-four position.
Hynes spoke to SPORTbible about potentially being picked for the side.
He said: “People are talking about it a lot, and I’m trying my best to be playing my best footy for the Sharks.
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“I can control what I can control and that’s playing good footy for Cronulla. If I’m doing that then I’ll put my name up for selection.
“Freddy will do what he has to do and pick his best team, and if I’m in that then I’ll definitely grab it and play my best for the team.”
While he was typically humble in his response, he made sure there were no doubts about his desire to play his maiden Origin series.
He said: It’s been a dream of mine so I do really want to play and every kid wants to play for New South Wales.
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“I’ll do my best to be selected, but like I say I can’t be up for selection if I’m not playing well for the Sharks or performing for my teammates.”
It’s one of the hardest positions to be picked for when it comes to New South Wales, with plenty of competition.
However, the 26-year-old has undoubtedly been on another level since moving to Cronulla and transforming the side.
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In his debut season at the side, he finished the season with individual honours and being recognised as the best player in the league that year.
On the Dally M honour, he said: “It was something I never expected and something I never thought I would reach in my career, purely for the fact that I didn’t know if I was ever going to ever get an NRL game.
“It was just very humbling to be on a list in the history books, next to someone like Jonathon Thurston, Cameron Smith and the like.
“You don’t play for individual awards but that’s something I’ll be able to show my grandkids for sure.”
Topics: NRL, Rugby League, Australia
Jayden Collins