Nicho Hynes receives confidence boost to end club's troubling losing streak against the Dolphins
Nicho Hynes showed no signs of doubts in the black, white and blue jersey as he helped engineer a sensational 24-12 victory over the Dolphins.
It was a much-needed confidence boost for both Hynes and the Sharks, given the club were the only team yet to defeat the Dolphins leading into the battle.
But such troubling statistic came to a thriller ending at Shark Park on Friday night.
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Hynes has been at the centre of criticism in recent months as many fear he may have lost confidence in his own performance due to a lingering battle with injuries.
However, two tries and a 100 per cent conversion rate quashed such beliefs.
A remarkable comeback surge by his rivals put Hynes to the test in the final 20 minutes.
Feagai was the first over the line, collecting a remarkable diagonal kick from Isaiya Katoa, who had been a target for Cronulla's defence the whole match, to break down the wing and tip-toe into the in-goal to score.
Farnworth followed with a storming run from his own 30 metre line which saw him jump over a fallen Hynes before stepping Will Kennedy, finding support in Kurt Donoghoe before finding the ball once again to finish off the job.
"This is the most entertaining team in the NRL. That was absolutely brilliant," Phil Gould said in commentary on Nine.
A knock on in-goal while attempting to chase a heavy ball marked the turning point for the Dolphins game as Jeremy Marshall-King was left to wait another day to score.
But it was Hynes who "iced" the game for his team as he smashed his way over in the corner to celebrate a 20-12 victory.
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Nicho Hynes of the Sharks celebrates scoring a try. Getty
Earlier, a quick play from dummy half by Blayke Brailey was sent to Hynes, who crashed over three defenders to snatch the first points.
A conversion from the sideline proved to be little problem for the halfback as he extended the margin to 6-0.
"That will do both the Sharks and Nicho's confidence a lot of good," Andrew Johns said.
"There were a couple of encouraging signs there... a) that they wanted to run the ball on the last play and b) that Nicho had the confidence and took them on himself,' Gould added.
Cronulla continued to dominate in possession for the remaining 25 minutes in the half but their efforts were not without an impressive defensive strategy from the Dolphins.
Briton Nikora of the Sharks is tackled. Getty
Hynes was lucky to escape time in the sin bin when both teams returned from the break after he interfered with the ruck as Jake Averillo attempted to play the ball.
Still, even with a penalty the Dolphins were unable to find points to put on the board.
Another missed opportunity came in the next set for the Dolphins, with Farnworth fumbling the ball cold just metres from the line.
Brailey's magical eye engineered the game plan for Sharks' second try of the evening as he broke around the ruck from dummy half to storm up the field. An offload by Briton Nikora in the next tackle to Hynes was then flicked out Jesse Ramien to score.