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Brad Fittler has defended his decision to leave Dally M Medallist Nicho Hynes out of his NSW Blues squad for Game 2 of State of Origin, telling reporters that it was purely a tactical choice regarding his bench rotation rather than a reaction to his performance in the first Origin game or for Cronulla.
It comes after Phil Gould claimed Hynes was “a bit fragile” after his disappointing Origin debut and that’s why Fittler dumped the Sharks star for game two with Mitchell Moses getting the nod for the vacant halfback jersey.
“These days with the bench, with the HIAs, it’s tricky,” said Fittler.
“Queensland showed that sometimes you just have to put guys in those positions and give them a shot. At the end of the day, you can’t cover every position. There’s just not enough versatile players. So you have to go in with a plan, and if Plan B doesn’t work, you have to do your best. That’ll be the mindset.
“He’s had such an incredible year on and off the field, but we felt after the weekend’s round and with the way we wanted to play, there’s more certainty about getting a second hooker on than getting a versatile player on. There’s more certainty about what we can do and if things go wrong we’ll adapt.”
Hynes was considered the early frontrunner to replace Nathan Cleary when the Penrith No.7 tore his hamstring but after lacklustre performances for Cronulla against Brisbane and then Sunday’s 54-10 thumping in Melbourne, he was dropped from the NSW squad.
The 2022 Dally M Medal winner also struggled in his limited minutes on debut in the 26-18, getting palmed off by Cameron Munster in the lead-up to Queensland’s try to Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow which put them in front in the closing stages.
Moses was handed the starting spot with Cowboys hooker Reece Robson called up to make his debut as the bench utility ahead of Hynes for next Wednesday’s clash in Brisbane.
Nicho Hynes. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
“My mail was that after the Origin in Adelaide he was a bit fragile after that game,” the former NSW coach said on Nine’s 100% Footy. “He was upset that he was thrown in there late, missed a tackle that maybe cost them the game, he kind of came back lacking a little bit in confidence.
“So it wasn’t just last week’s performance, it was probably the one the week before too (against Brisbane) and how he responded to that.”
Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon, after the 44-point hammering by the Storm, said it would be unfair for Hynes to lose his Blues spot on the basis of that game and not the “strong body of work behind him” over the past 18 months.
“He was probably not at his best,” Fitzgibbon said. “Didn’t have much support there today. You need to be part of a strong team line-up to play well.”
Gould also believes Queensland have gained a major advantage for the Blues’ must-win match at Suncorp Stadium by going into camp a day earlier. The Blues had to wait until after Monday’s Eels-Dogs clash to name their squad because it contained several Blues selection candidates.
“It’s a huge advantage, the first 24 hours is crucial, they’ve been sitting there reviewing and previewing and we’re still twiddling our thumbs and haven’t got a team yet,” Gould said.
“We won’t be getting together until probably Wednesday so you’re already giving away two days, it’s really important.”
He added that the Maroons squad looks stronger with the addition of Xavier Coates, Jeremiah Nanai and Moeaki Fotuaika for injured trio Selwyn Cobbo, Tom Gilbert and Jai Arrow.
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