“All I try and do is wake up every day happy and try and make a positive impact on people’s lives and play some good footy. And some people want to bring you down for it. That is a ‘them’ problem.”

It is easy to forget Hynes has played only three games since returning from a foot injury, and he did set up the Sharks’ first try with an excellent cut-out pass on Saturday.

He maintained halfback was his best position despite having excelled at fullback when filling in for the injured Ryan Papenhuyzen during his final season at the Storm before the big-money move to the Shire.

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Sharks fullback Will Kennedy is off contract next year, which will only fuel the debate about Hynes’ future position over the summer.

“He [coach Craig Fitzgibbon] signed me as a halfback, and I want to play halfback,” Hynes said.

“I want to play any position the club wants me to play. Right now, I am wearing No.7, and that is where they think I am best suited. I don’t see myself changing position any time soon.

“I’ve been wanting a moment like [Friday] forever. I want to win finals games, I want to play in grand finals, we want to compete for grand finals. This whole club is just hungry as for it. We are ready to go again.”

Trindall said the talk about Hynes being axed was “just outside noise”, while Atkinson added: “We back Nicho 100 per cent – he’ll get the job done.”