Cronulla superstar Nicho Hynes has opened up about “the toughest time in my life” as he comes to terms with his mother being behind bars.
The 26-year-old reigning Dally M Medallist was in All Stars camp with the Indigenous team in New Zealand earlier this month when he received a phone call from Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon.
Hynes’ mother, Julie, had been found guilty of heroin supply and remanded in custody.
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Somehow, he managed to play the All Stars game and was named man of the match.
But he’s now broken his silence publicly on just how hard the past fortnight has been.
“It’s no secret it’s been a challenging time. It’s probably been the toughest time in my life,” Hynes told media on Monday.
“Especially with just the way it’s been spoken about it in the media and seeing my mum getting dragged through the media and the way people react to it.
“Everyone’s going to have opinions on this story and they’re going to react the way they want to react, but I’m going to stand by mum every step of the way in this and be there for her.
“I’ll visit her and what happened … I don’t think was the right outcome.
“You can’t really judge on that, but there’s no way in the world that I’m going to leave her high and dry now.
“She needs the support and I need my support, and I’ll get my support and she’ll get her support and I’m going to be there for her.
Sad motivation behind Hynes’ All Stars blinder
“Come sentencing day, I’ll probably say a little bit more and hopefully we’ll get a better outcome then. But at the end of the day, it is what it is and I’ve got a job to do here for the Sharks.
“It’s hard. I’m dealing with it the best I can and putting things in place so I can deal with it.”
Hynes has previously been public in his fight against mental health issues.
Expectations are high on the former Melbourne playmaker, after being judged the best player in the competition last year.
He looks set to miss the opening round of the NRL season due to a calf injury.
His Sharks take on the Rabbitohs in their season opener on Saturday.
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