‘It’s not looking good’: Sharks fear the worst for young star as new halves prove they can get the job done without Nicho Hynes

Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon fears the worst for young star Jesse Colquhoun who came off after just seven minutes on Friday night with a serious knee injury in his first NRL game back this year from a broken foot.

Colquhoun, 22, has had a wretched run of injuries having suffered serious foot injuries during the 2023 and 2024 trials against the Bulldogs.

Friday’s game against the Wests Tigers is the latest setback, with scans to reveal the severity of the injury which Fitzgibbon conceded was most likely an ACL tear.

“It’s not looking good for Jesse. It was probably the hardest part of the night,” he said after the 58-6 win.

“I don’t think people realise how good that boy will be. We’ve got such high hopes for him, but he’s had two years with a broken foot in a trial which has seen him miss the first half both years.

“Now he’s going to have to go through this, and it’s not looking good. Watching him come out the other side of the other two injuries – and they were significant – I have no doubt in my mind that he’ll do this one. His future’s bright.”

Colquhoun’s injury comes just days after star halfback Nicho Hynes suffered a major ankle injury at training, but any fears that his absence would end their top four hopes seem premature after Cronulla’s attacking masterclass on Friday.

Braydon Trindall and Daniel Atkinson combined for three assists, with Atkinson making a break in the third minute, while his halfback put the icing on the cake with the final try of the contest to go with his nine goals.

It’ll be a big task for them to build on what they produced against the cellar dwellers, but Trindall is confident they have the chemistry to keep it going.

“It was disappointing seeing Nicho go down during the week, but that’s footy,” he said.

“You can’t dwell on those things when they happen. We looked for the positives out of it, and ‘Ako’ has delivered when he’s stepped into the team so it was awesome to see him have a good game.

“He’s awesome to play with. He just jumps on board with whatever the team needs.”

The next few weeks could be the biggest of Trindall’s young career as he continues to fight to earn back the trust of his teammates after he was stood down earlier in the year for driving with drugs and alcohol in his system.

Trindall was stood down after he failed a roadside test and missed a handful of games for the Sharks, but he’s ready to make the most of his second chance.

“I’m just looking forward to playing good footy and earning their trust back within the team and the club,” he said.

“I’m just going to put my best foot forward over the coming weeks.

“They supported me all the way through it so I want to repay them by playing some good footy.”