How Billy picked the Origin winning side: The Billy Slater Podcast EP 19
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Daily Telegraph
8 hours ago
- Daily Telegraph
NRL news, updates: Nicho Hynes calls out Nathan Cleary tall poppy syndrome after State of Origin criticism
Don't miss out on the headlines from NRL. Followed categories will be added to My News. Sharks halfback Nicho Hynes has leapt to the defence of Nathan Cleary, who he says is a victim of tall poppy syndrome following last week's shock State of Origin defeat. The former Dally M Medal winner has warned the rest of the NRL that the Panthers star could take his game to scary heights after his Blues heartbreak. FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. A shattered Cleary spoke with humility after NSW lost game three at home and conceded he was yet to own the Origin arena after falling to an 0-3 record in series deciders after the Maroons rallied around skipper Cameron Munster and played a faultless opening 67 minutes. The discourse around Cleary has ranged from him being the GOAT (greatest of all time) to someone who can't win the big one, which doesn't quite stack up given he's won four titles in a row and is doing things we've never seen on a footy field. Nathan Cleary has failed to make an impact in the Origin arena. (Photo by) Nicho Hynes (right) is no stranger to criticism. Picture: Richard Dobson Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon was stunned by the criticism Cleary copped after the decider, and Hynes took it a step further in the sheds after his side's win over the Dolphins. 'It can be challenging at times,' said Hynes, who now has a private Instagram account and blocks out all the outside noise having copped similar criticism after losing games for NSW. 'In the past I've let it get to me a fair bit, but I've put things in place at the moment so I don't see any of the stuff that's being spoken about me as long as the coaching staff, my teammates and my family value what I'm doing for the club and the effort I'm putting in. 'I felt for Nathan the other night. Although I haven't seen any of what's going on, I have heard whispers around and people talking about what he's going through and the things he's been copping. 'He's a four-time premiership winner in a row, he's tactically probably the best player in our game. I think Munster's the best football player we've had for a long time in the game, but Nathan's tactically so good and Queensland just lifted the other night. 'They lifted, the whole state lifted and the whole team did for Munster and it just goes like that sometimes. As a halfback, you do wear a lot of it and that just comes with being the No.7 on a rugby league team, it's like the quarterback in the NFL. 'I know he strives for perfection and there are days sometimes it just doesn't turn out. He's going to come back better for it. 'It's like me, I always strive for perfection and I'll never reach it, but I'm going to keep trying and I'm going to keep working hard for this club and put my best foot forward and not worry about what people have to say. Nathan Cleary is widely regarded as the best player in the NRL. (Photo by) 'I know what I'm doing and if anyone could do a better job they would be. They just sit on the couch and watch the footy and have their opinion when their opinion doesn't really matter. 'You guys in the media have your opinion because you have to, it's your job. You write about it and I don't listen to it. I just keep working hard, doing my best for this team and sometimes you don't get the win. 'There's always a winner and a loser and we've been losing at the moment and that's fair enough, some criticism will come our way and I've just got to deal with it, keep moving on and keep fighting.' Baseball legend Reggie Jackson had a famous quote back in the day that 'Fans don't boo nobodies', and that was on show on Sunday when Eels supporters booed Cleary when he was shown on the bench before the Penrith playmaker came on and led his side to victory. 'It's the Australian way sometimes. They want to bring people down all the time, whether you're at the top of your game or you're not or you're a high-profile person,' Hynes said. 'This is tall poppy syndrome and in Australia it's real. They just want to bring everyone down. 'In our game there is only one winner at the end of the day in October and only one halfback wins it every year. Nathan Cleary's been that one. 'People coming at me, are they saying every other halfback is a failure in this competition? There's only one person who gets to win it, one No.7 wins it every year, so all of us other halfbacks are chasing that. 'Are they calling Mitchell Moses a failure? I don't think so because he's a great player, won an Origin series last year and he hasn't won a comp yet.' Hynes said he didn't need external validation and was only focused on the opinions of his teammates, coaches and those close to him, but he'd happily offer his praise to Cleary if he thought it would help. 'I thought about messaging him over the last couple of days and saying 'you're the GOAT, don't worry about it',' he said. 'But I know what it's like when people message you telling you not to worry about the things that are being said about you. You straight away think about what's being said. 'He's a professional, he's been through it all before. I have been thinking about him a lot, I just didn't want to be another person to message saying 'don't worry about it' because I don't even know what's going on and what's been said. 'The boys come in and say 'what happened about this person?' I don't know because I just don't care anymore about what's going on in this world, about rugby league. 'If he does see this, I honestly am thinking about him and I do love him as a person. He's a genuine, really good person. 'I'm scared for the competition now, how he's going to bounce back.' Originally published as Nicho Hynes 'scared' for the rest of the NRL as Cleary criticism exposes tall poppy syndrome is 'real'
Sydney Morning Herald
10 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Footy was a way out': The inspirational story behind Dolphins' potential saviour
Rugby league has produced a remarkable rise from obscurity for Aublix Tawha, one that's taken a circuitous route through Amsterdam and Yass, and away from his New Zealand home town. But now, the unheralded Dolphins enforcer is looking ahead as he seeks to repay coach Kristian Woolf's faith in him and help salvage a season plagued by an injury curse. 'Woolfy says he believes in me and that I can do the job, so I just want to prove him right, and prove to the boys I can be here to back them up,' Tawha said, ahead of his side's Thursday night clash with the Cowboys – his fourth NRL appearance. 'It's crazy, someone like that saying they believe in you. Coming from where I come from, you never thought you'd talk to someone of that calibre. 'Now I'm here playing NRL and he's telling me that – I just don't want to let him down.' Loading Tawha left Hamilton for Australia as a bright-eyed teenager to ply his trade for the Tweed Seagulls five years ago, before a shoulder injury seemingly ended his NRL crusade. He moved back across the ditch for a period, before taking up a shock opportunity to play rugby union in the Netherlands during the COVID-19 pandemic. He later returned home, where he settled for local football while working as a scaffolder. But an out-of-the-blue call from Yass Magpies in 2023 turned his fortunes around. There, he was spotted by former Redcliffe Dolphins coach and Brisbane Broncos forward Ben Te'o and produced a breakout Queensland Cup season.
The Age
10 hours ago
- The Age
‘Footy was a way out': The inspirational story behind Dolphins' potential saviour
Rugby league has produced a remarkable rise from obscurity for Aublix Tawha, one that's taken a circuitous route through Amsterdam and Yass, and away from his New Zealand home town. But now, the unheralded Dolphins enforcer is looking ahead as he seeks to repay coach Kristian Woolf's faith in him and help salvage a season plagued by an injury curse. 'Woolfy says he believes in me and that I can do the job, so I just want to prove him right, and prove to the boys I can be here to back them up,' Tawha said, ahead of his side's Thursday night clash with the Cowboys – his fourth NRL appearance. 'It's crazy, someone like that saying they believe in you. Coming from where I come from, you never thought you'd talk to someone of that calibre. 'Now I'm here playing NRL and he's telling me that – I just don't want to let him down.' Loading Tawha left Hamilton for Australia as a bright-eyed teenager to ply his trade for the Tweed Seagulls five years ago, before a shoulder injury seemingly ended his NRL crusade. He moved back across the ditch for a period, before taking up a shock opportunity to play rugby union in the Netherlands during the COVID-19 pandemic. He later returned home, where he settled for local football while working as a scaffolder. But an out-of-the-blue call from Yass Magpies in 2023 turned his fortunes around. There, he was spotted by former Redcliffe Dolphins coach and Brisbane Broncos forward Ben Te'o and produced a breakout Queensland Cup season.
