Nicho Hynes has put the NRL on notice, showing he can be just as dangerous again in 2023 by starring in Cronulla's 40-8 win over arch-rivals St George Illawarra.
In his first game back from a calf injury, last year's Dally M Medallist did not miss a beat on his return as he set up three tries and had a hand in two others at Kogarah on Sunday.
The result marked the Sharks' biggest win over their arch-rivals in 16 years and piled more pressure on Dragons coach Anthony Griffin as he fights for his future.
St George Illawarra are now 1-2 to start the season, with a decision on whether to re-sign Griffin or move on likely to be made in the next two months.
The Dragons looked off from the outset after Jesse Ramien found space in the Sharks' first set and St George Illawarra managed only 14 metres from their opening set.
They still managed to lead the match for a seven-minute period in the first half, as tries to Ben Hunt and Jaydn Su'A put the Dragons up 8-6.
But that period aside, it was all the Sharks.
Beaten in two of their opening three games, Cronulla looked more like the team that finished second last regular season with Hynes back in the side.
His first impact came in the eighth minute when he delivered a long cut-out ball for Ronaldo Mulitalo, who kicked back inside for Will Kennedy on the fly to score.
There were still moments of sluggishness from Hynes, who allowed Hunt to skip outside him and shrug him off for the Dragons' first try.
But in attack he looked just as dangerous as in 2022.
The Sharks hit the lead when he put a bomb up in a tight space, and after Cameron McInnes leapt early and bumped Tyrell Sloan, Katoa took the loose ball and sent Ramien over.
That made it 12-8 to the Sharks at halftime and the floodgates opened after the break.
Hynes set up one try when he provided a deft ball for Briton Nikora to hit a hole, while another came when he provided a long pass for Katoa.
His finest moment came when he and Nikora combined on the right edge, burst down field and gave a one-handed offload for Ramien to score.
"He got excited at times, it's hard to keep up with Nicho sometimes," coach Craig Fitzgibbon said.
"I thought it was a strong performance, given lack of training time and lack of connection time with the guys.
"He seamlessly fit back in and gave a boost.
"But I have to say his teammates stepped up also and he was the beneficiary of a better team performance today."
Mulitalo also scored a double on the Sharks' left wing, with his best try coming after Matt Moylan tapped on a Hynes ball and Siosifa Talakai put the winger over.
For the Dragons, there were no such celebrations - only the reality that the loss will add to more speculation around Griffin's future.
"It's very disappointing. It's not going to go away now," captain Ben Hunt said.
"We have to play some good footy. That's all it comes down to.
"He's not the one out on the field. We're the ones missing tackles in the second half."
Australian Associated Press
