Burton’s Elegant Message to Hynes

Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon said the last few weeks will “shape” Nicho Hynes after he missed a field goal attempt on Friday that would have won his team the game, only for Matt Burton to freeze his moment a minute later.

It’s been a tough month for the former Dally M winner who was sent off for the Blues after the first game and then missed a sideline conversion against the Dolphins which would have sent the game to golden point.

The marksman then missed a couple of conversions against Canterbury and smashed a simple golden point field goal attempt that would have put the Sharks level with the Storm on 26 competition points.

“It’s going to shape him,” Fitzgibbon said.

“He’s going to have to go through this. It’s part of his responsibility and he accepts it much better (than in the past).

“He’s been stung before and he’s dealt with his blows a little bit, but I feel like in the last couple of weeks he’s recognized it.

“It’s going to hurt – of course it’s going to hurt – but I feel like he’s ready to keep going after those moments. He didn’t hesitate to do it and put himself in position, but he has to do it in an ice-cold manner.”

While Burton was delighted to have successfully completed his 38-yard attempt, the five-eighth-year-old couldn’t help but feel sorry for his rival who he got to know through their time together at the Origin camp.

“I feel a little sorry for him. He’s had a chance to calm down, but it can only make him better. I’ve been through the same thing and it only makes you better,” he said.

“He is a class player and I am convinced that he will bounce back and become better. »

Friday’s result was another emotional win for the Bulldogs who are on course to end their finals drought, and they can thank Burton for the crucial two points in the competition after he brushed aside a couple of long-range misses to score the winner.

Burton never shied away from the big moments, having missed a number of field goal attempts in his second game for Penrith, which didn’t stop him from wanting the ball.

“Having these lessons early in my career helps me now. At the time, I was only fresh and there were a lot of things going through my mind at that time. I feel like I’m more mature now, and it definitely helps to have the previous shots on goal,” he said, inspired by a famous quote from NHL legend Wayne Gretzky.

“I don’t want to disappoint my teammates, that’s the most important thing. After your failure, I don’t want to retreat into my shell and run away from the opportunity to hit her.

“I remember reading something like ‘The ones you don’t take are the ones you miss,’ so I kept walking towards that.

“There’s no better feeling (than scoring the winning basket). It’s the result of all the boys’ hard work they put in during the match, so to get one for them is pretty special.

Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo praised Burton for his “goldfish mindset”, and it’s something he’s had to adopt after being controversially omitted from the Blues squad for the second game, when he was the 18th man for the first game of the series.

“I’m never going to not put my hand up for Les Bleus. To put that jersey on is pretty special. What’s going to happen will happen. I’m just happy to have won tonight,” he replied when asked if he would put his hand up for that role in the future.

“I tried to put my head down and work hard for the boys here. It was obviously disappointing, but I just had to put my head down and carry on without thinking too much about it.

“The Blues had a great victory, so I was delighted. It was an awesome match and they were everywhere, so I loved it.