Cronulla centre Jesse Ramien says the Sharks have the chance to shut Nicho Hynes's doubters up as teammates defend their halfback from the latest round of critiques.
Penrith great Greg Alexander led pushback on Hynes's performance in the qualifying final loss to Melbourne, calling for Cronulla coach Craig Fitzgibbon to consider replacing him with tyro Daniel Atkinson for Friday's semifinal against North Queensland.
Hynes had a hand in the Sharks' first try in the last-start 37-10 loss, but bungled a kick for touch with the game in the balance early and struggled to assert himself as the Storm ran away late.
Loading...For Hynes, it was the latest round of ammunition for those doubting his ability to stand up in big games.
One of the competition's most high-profile figures, Hynes has endured a rollercoaster campaign, struggling to recapture his best since a tough first game starting for NSW in State of Origin I.
But with their season on the line, teammates have leapt to the defence of their million-dollar man, who only returned from a serious ankle injury two weeks before finals.
"There's not a person here that doesn't back him," Ramien told AAP.
"He's been unreal for us all year. He's not deserving of what he cops.
"I can't wait to get back out there Friday and hopefully we can shut some people up."
Cronulla prop Toby Rudolf intimated Hynes's critics had forgotten his track record of success, including a brilliant first campaign at the club in 2022.
"Nicholas Hynes won the Dally M two years ago, and people think that he's a different player but he's the same guy," Rudolf told AAP.
"We haven't been performing as a team … there's been a few slip-ups, last week was definitely a slip-up.
"I don't see the point in blaming one guy when there's 12 other guys on the field at the same time."
Captain Cameron McInnes said he had a "lot of respect" for Alexander but "completely disagreed" with his view on Hynes, adamant the loss could not be pinned on the halfback alone.
The Sharks leaked two tries in the final 10 minutes and made 12 errors to the Storm's four last Saturday as they slumped to a seventh consecutive finals loss — equalling the NRL record.
"No one did their job out there for us on the weekend. To put it on one person is not fair," McInnes told AAP.
"[Hynes] is a tremendous person and such a good player. He's achieved a lot in such a short space of time.
"Nicho's a very resilient person and he's raring to go this week. It's about us doing our jobs this week and he'll do his."
AAP