Cronulla snapped their seven-game losing streak in finals footy with an impressive win over North Queensland last week to book a preliminary final meeting with Penrith.
Braydon Trindall had a major hand in the victory over the Cowboys as the diminutive playmaker took control of proceedings ahead of Nicho Hynes.
The five-eighth has often played second fiddle to the star halfback but has continued to grow in stature at the business end of the season as he has taken on more responsibility in the halves.
Hynes returned to action just four weeks ago after a long layoff due to injury but ahead of their clash with the Panthers, the Sharks have denied the NSW and Australia representative has a reduced role in the side’s attack.
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How Braydon Trindall and Nicho Hynes have changed the way the Sharks attack
"It’s kind of just went how the game went," Blayke Brailey told SEN Afternoons when quizzed on whether it had been a deliberate plan against the Cowboys to give Trindal more of the ball.
"Obviously, a couple of years ago if you were to study Sharks’ game plans, you’d see Nicho and he would be such a dominant voice and he’d take control of our whole team.
"But I feel like now they both just work so well together."
Since returning from injury in Round 26 against the New Zealand Warriors, Hynes has eased back into the swing of things with much of his attacking output curbed while he continues to recover his match fitness.
In his past four games, he has registered just one try assist, with a run-first mentality - often more attributed to a No.6 - forming the basis of his game.
He has had 60 total carries in the past month and has surpassed the 100-run metre mark in each of his last three appearances.
Meanwhile, the brunt of the creativity has been fashioned by Trindall with the five-eighth crossing for two tries and providing six assists in that same period.
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Across the first six rounds of the season where Hynes and Trindall played together before the latter was stood down by the club for an off-field indiscretion, Hynes averaged 21 more receipts of the footy per game than Trindall.
However, this has drastically been cut recently with the possession more evenly split between the halves.
Hynes still receives more service, but he has averaged just seven more touches of the footy than Trindall per game across the last month.
Although while Brailey continued to stress how this wasn’t a part of the game plan by the Sharks, the dummy-half backed the duo to combine once again in the prelim.
"They both kick well, compete well and run the footy and take the line on when they have opportunities, so it’s definitely no plan," the hooker said.
"It’s just the way the game went in the semis but the way they connected was great for our side. And I’ve got full confidence in him and Nicho steering us around (against the Panthers)."
