The past two winners of the Dally M Medal shared a special moment in 2015 when they were playing for the Sea Eagles in a Holden Cup preliminary final.
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Tom Trbojevic knows it would be special if Nicho Hynes was still playing alongside him at Manly.
Hands up if you remember seeing a young Hynes leaping into the arms of Trbojevic after he had just kicked the winning field goal to send the Sea Eagles to the 2015 Holden Cup grand final.
Their coach at the time, David Heath, brought Hynes on during a break in play because he was the most capable of slotting a one-pointer under pressure.
Trbojevic said he has known the Cronulla star for more than a decade, and that they played in the same Sydney North representative teams in primary school, plus the same NSW Primary Schools Sports Association team that travelled to Darwin for the national championships in 2008.
The man nicknamed “Turbo” certainly remembered the night Hynes jumped into his arms after Manly sealed a Holden Cup preliminary final boilover against the Cowboys.
“Penrith and the Cowboys were the two best teams all year, and we weren’t meant to win that day,” Trbojevic said. “Nicho kicked the winning field goal.
“He was always a good ball player who had a lot of time. Even now he looks like a player with a lot of time. He reads the defences well, has a lot of different passing options and is always making the right decision. The way he is playing right now is incredible.
“I do remember that photo of us. It would have been cool to still play with him here at Manly. But I don’t really daydream about those sort of things.
“He’s just a quality player, and a really great guy who was always good value. I’m glad he’s going so well.”
Heath, now coach of Hills District in the Ron Massey Cup, said he had enjoyed watching Hynes’ rapid rise, and his work ethic and temperament meant first-grade success was inevitable, if belated.
“His personality and the way he carries himself now is no surprise to me,” Heath said. “He’s always been a good young man. There was no rubbish in him at all. He was a central figure and always got along with everyone.”
Hynes said his football would improve further because of the relief he felt after walking out of the Downing Centre court on Tuesday with his mother, Julie, who had been released from prison.
Julie, who was found guilty of supplying heroin in February, will serve a two-year intensive corrections order at Hynes’ home, rather than behind bars, which means the Sharks playmaker no longer has to “worry about answering mum’s calls, or having the stress of missing her sometimes because I’ve been training all day, and not knowing when I will talk to her again”.
Trbojevic and Hynes, the two Dally M Medal winners from the past two seasons – and the two biggest drawcards at 4 Pines Park on Mother’s Day – will try to inspire wins for their respective teams, while also ramming home their NSW Origin credentials.
Trbojevic has been criticised for his form in recent weeks, but coach Anthony Seibold reminded people his numbers were still excellent, and it was unrealistic to expect him to reproduce the phenomenal performances that led him to the Dally M Medal in 2021.
