Talking Points, semi-finals, results, reaction, opinion, prediction, Nicho Hynes, Braydon Trindall, James Tedesco top five game of all time, Mal Meninga, Kangaroos selection smokies, Finals Week 2 – MASHAHER

And just like that the second week of the finals has concluded, with six teams whittling down to four eyeing premiership glory.

As is always the case, the winners are grinners, with two key names from the Sharks and Roosters silencing their critics in emphatic fashion during their sides’ big wins.

Craig Fitzgibbon has also been spotlighted for his tough, but ultimately decisive, team selections, including his big call on how his halves play together that was vindicated.

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MORE NRL NEWS

CHOOKS COOKING: Roosters into prelim after Teddy runs riot to torch Manly

RATINGS: Tedesco statement leads Roosters rout; Manly stars’ mixed night at office

‘A BIT TOO CRAZY’: DCE dissects wild start in brutal elimination final loss

‘NEVER SEEN THE LIKES OF IT?’: Manly pair gone in 23 seconds

Meanwhile, the Cowboys performances have come under the spotlight, with one league legend believing poor fitness was Todd Payten’s side’s undoing against the Sharks.

Elsewhere, Mal Meninga provided a hint at who could be donning the green and gold of Australia at next month’s Pacific Championships.

Read on for the biggest talking points to come out of week two of the finals.

SHARKS SILENCE CRITICS AS NEW HALVES DYNAMIC PAYS OFF

The Sharks have had an unwanted hoodoo hovering over them for the last few years — seven straight finals losses — but they put an end to that drought with a 26-18 win over the Cowboys to book a date with the Panthers in the Preliminary Finals.

The result will not only silence some of the noise around the Sharks’ premiership credentials, but it will also ease some of the pressure on star halfback Nicho Hynes.

Hynes has been struggling with form since returning from an ankle injury in Round 26 and there were even calls for the 28-year-old to be benched for last Friday’s must-win semi-final.

But Craig Fitzgibbon stuck solid with his halves pairing and it paid off in a dominant first-half performance from the Sharks.

However, despite wearing the No.6, it was Trindall who really steered the ship.

The 25-year-old put on a masterclass, finishing with two tries, two linebreak assists and four forced dropouts.

Fox League expert Michael Ennis called Trindall’s performance “outstanding” and praised the “maturity around his kicking game”.

Meanwhile, retired playmaker Shaun Johnson thought Trindall “was the difference” and also put a spotlight on his kicking game.

“Kicking early multiple times and just turning the screws, applying that pressure. You see teams slowly break and what happens off the back of that kicking game is that you can run on the last play, it opens up other avenues,” he said on Fox League.

It came after a week full of headlines surrounding the confidence of Hynes. The noise got so intense the marquee No.7 even switched off social media to escape it.

Ennis believes Trindall took the right approach and was a fan of the dynamic between the two playmakers.

He also applauded Hynes for the way he responded to what would’ve been a “tough” week for him. Hynes finished with a try assist, 56 metres from nine runs and 23 tackles — five misses. He also nailed all four of his conversion attempts and a penalty goal.

“I feel like Braydon Trindall just had to go after the game. He couldn’t go onto Allianz Stadium and wait to see if Nicho was going to grab the game by the scruff of the neck — he had to do it,” Ennis said.

“It would’ve been a tough week for Nicho but I thought he was terrific. Defensively, he got his body in front. There’s no doubt he was targeted defensively and he did a great job.

“And Trindall was outstanding. He played more like the seven, he took control of everything in the opening half and set up the win.

“Off the back of it, Nicho looked like his shoulders dropped, he played with freedom, they looked in-sync together and that’s where Cronulla are at their best.

“Nicho Hynes, under duress and under pressure I thought he showed some real character — and we knew he had that in him. You don’t win a Dally M by fluke.”

Johnson knows exactly what it’s like to be under scrutiny for not aiming up as a marquee half— but he’s confident the semi-final win will be enough to silence the criticism.

“They’re so close to making all this noise around them fish and chip paper now,” he said.

“They’re 80 minutes away from a grand final — what are we talking about this time next week if they’ve just beaten the Panthers. None of this noise that was noise two or three weeks ago becomes relevant anymore.”

TEDESCO’S ANSWERS CRITICS WITH ‘TOP FIVE’ ALL-TIME GAME

The Roosters are through to a preliminary final thanks in part to a stellar performance from skipper James Tedesco in game 250, who shredded the Manly defence to pieces.

Against Manly, Tedesco ran for 183 metres, had two tries, four line break assists and two line breaks.

Tedesco’s coach Trent Robinson gushed over his skipper’s 80-minute masterclass.

“It was incredible,” Robinson said of Tedesco’s performance.

“He made a decision on how he was going to play tonight. You won’t see any difference in him from week to week because Teddy is quite shy, so he doesn’t say too much or he’s not going to say ‘I’m going to do this’.

“Somewhere during the week, he made a decision. He’s been playing like that all year, but that was another level tonight. That was exceptional.”

Tedesco’s former Roosters teammate Cooper Cronk rated it one of the fullback’s best individual performances in his career.

“He’s played a lot of elite games in 250 games, but I think that’s in the top five,” Cronk said.

“He did the hard yards from the back end, he scored a couple, he had the skill and ability to finish off things. He was the everywhere man.

“When that physicality and fatigue kicked in, he struck. It was a 10/10 performance.”

It hasn’t been the easiest couple of seasons for Tedesco, who has faced criticism for his patchy form and lost his fullback jersey for the Blues to Penrith’s Dylan Edwards.

Despite a down year in 2023, which culminated in an upset Pacific Championship Final loss in the rep arena for the Kangaroos, Tedesco has bounced back to form this season.

That has been particularly evident of late, with Tedesco’s being the Roosters’ best player over the past month or so.

Fox League’s Yvonne Sampson noted this, believing Tedesco’s recent run of form has “answered” critics.

“You say you can’t question his ability but it has (Tedesco’s form) been a topic of conversation,” Sampson said.

“Fairly or unfairly, people wanted to see more from Teddy. I think he answered all that and more.”

Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga added that Tedesco seems to be one of the most scrutinised players “He gets criticised when he goes up to rep footy. We lost last year in the Pacific Championships final, and losing Game I (Origin) this year and they got to pick a foil. It’s what we in the media do,” Meninga said.

“We got to look at the weaknesses of a football team and he’s one that seems to be picked on the most.”

Tedesco’s form in 2024 is expected to see him challenge in the Dally M Medal race, with the fullback on 5th spot on the leaderboard when the voting went public after Round 12.

Corey Parker says it’s a testament to Tedesco to see him continue to stay at or near the top among fullbacks in our game considering the incredible depth at that position.

“The game is littered with star fullbacks. It’s a hotly contested position and we talked about Trbojevic before the game,” Parker said on Fox League.

“There’s Reece Walsh, Kalyn Ponga, the list goes on but Tedesco has been at the top for so long and when there’s been some losses that have happened, whether it’s been for the Aussies last year or in the Origin arena, that’s when the questions do come out.

“I don’t think they question the style of player that he is because he’s unbelievable, he’s proven that. The question is can he do it in the sides when you need him. He’s doing that for the Roosters (now) and he has done it for a long period of time.

“He’s a super player.”

FITZY GETS IT RIGHT AS SHARKS BOOK PANTHERS DATE

Heading into Friday night’s game without a finals win in years, there was immense pressure placed on the Cronulla Sharks this week.

And while much of that noise honed in on star halfback Nicho Hynes, ultimately, as is always the case in professional sports, the buck stops with the coach.

In this instance, that’s Craig Fitzgibbon who, until late on Friday night, was yet to orchestrate a finals win in his young head coaching career.

Fitzgibbon nailed his tactics for the contest and the Sharks got the monkey off their back in winning a finals game for the first time this decade.

Former Shark Shaun Johnson explained Fitzgibbon had “his fingerprints all over it,” with Fox League’s Greg Alexander believing the Sharks coaches selections were a decisive factor in the outcome.

“Fitzy pulled the right moves putting Dan Atkinson back to No.18 and having three middles on the bench and having Sifa (Talakai), who can play centre if you need him,” he said.

“I think Fitzy got the team right and they all played well.

“If you want to win a finals game you’ve got to have everyone play well.”

Johnson agreed it was a whole team effort from the Sharks against the Cowboys, stating; “They needed 13 starters and then the bench to come on and make an impact and they did.”

Cronulla began the game as if they were shot out of a cannon, getting on top of the Cowboys inside the first 20 minutes of the game and rarely relinquishing their hold on the contest.

And while some will rightly state this period was pivotal in the club winning, Alexander feels it stood for more in the grand scheme of Cronulla’s season.

“They extinguished whatever they were thinking about the finals hoodoo,” he said.

“They extinguished that in the first 30 minutes of that game.”

Johnson explained that Cronulla’s fast start “gave themselves a buffer” and believes his former club did extremely well to keep the Cowboys at bay from that point on.

“It’s always harder at half time when you go hot and come out and start that way you’ve got the target on your back,” he said.

Alexander agreed, believing the Sharks “would have realised that the Cowboys had something in them in the second half but the Sharks were easily the better side tonight.”

And while Fiztgibbon’s team selection, and decision to hand five-eighth Braydon Trindall the keys to his side, proved fortuitous against a Cowboys side slammed post-game for their defensive deficiencies and fitness issues, they will need to shift up a gear next week against Penrith.

“The Sharks are going to need to be at their absolute best next week that’s the challenge and that’s been the knock on a lot of the sides that didn’t finish in the top two,” Fox League’s Michael Ennis said post-game.

“Everyone knows what Penrith and Melbourne are going to bring but the sides below them that have had inconsistencies through the year.

“While they’ve been brilliant they have had periods in games where they’ve had lapses.

“They’re not going to get the opportunity next week. While it was a full improvement tonight from the Cronulla Sharks, that then goes to a whole new level against Penrith.”

LACK OF FITNESS COSTS COWBOYS

Fox League’s Greg Alexander believes the Cowboys’ lack of fitness cost them dearly in Friday night’s 26-18 elimination final loss to the Sharks.

The Cowboys were blown off the park in the first half and trailed 24-0 at the break before rallying in the second.

But with 50 missed tackles, Alexander said the Cowboys’ fitness concerns were likely the catalyst for their struggles at Allianz Stadium.

“You don’t win a final missing 50 missed tackles and there was big chunks that when the Sharks controlled the ball I thought the lack of fitness of the Cowboys was exposed tonight,” he said.

“I thought there was so many unfit players out there and I thought the Cowboys did well to really limit the Sharks to 26 points. Katoa scored a try that was brought back, Royce Hunt scored a try it was brought back.

“I thought the Sharks were easily the best side out there even though the Cowboys got themselves back into it and got close. I just think the Sharks owned the game. The Sharks were in total control.”

Michael Ennis said their glaringly obvious fitness issues led to some serious lapses in defence which Cronulla continually capitalised on.

“When Valentine Holmes scored after halftime you though there was a glimmer of hope. They just have so many individuals who can hurt you and make something out of nothing,” he said.

“But their defensive deficiencies this year particularly through periods of the game – 50 or 60 minutes the Cowboys can look as good as any side in the competition then they lose concentration.

‘Defensively tonight they started with a bang. Obviously all week they worked on starting fast and they did that in the first five minutes and then all of a sudden Cronulla traded sets with ball in play and went set for set for set and the fitness of Cronulla through the forward pack exposed their deficiencies.

“They piled on the points and they piled them on quickly and in the end the Cowboys had chances in that’s second half and were able to create a line break or a half chance and through the pressure of the scoreboard threw a pass that they may not normally throw or a play three flick pass or Drinkwater going for the dropout.

“They were all rolls of the dice but in the end it was the defensive deficiencies that caught up with the Cowboys.”

MENINGA HINTS ON KANGAROOS SELECTIONS

The Kangaroos may have lost their last Test 30-0, but Mal Meninga has hinted he may stick with a number of incumbent veterans depending on injuries.

Manly skipper Daly Cherry-Evans gave a cryptic response when asked if he was available for the Pacific Championships after Manly’s 40-16 season ending loss to the Roosters.

“If I get picked I would love to,” Cherry-Evans said.

“I know where I stand, so we will see what happens in the next couple of weeks. But if I’m picked I’m good.”

Meninga confirmed he would ring Manly this week to check the availability of Tom Trbojevic given his injuries that he carried in the finals series.

“We will definitely get hold of the club after their last game,” Meninga said.

“There has been a few guys that could be unavailable because of injuries and Tom is one of those.

“As far as Cherry-Evans is concerned I don’t know what he means by where he stands because he is the incumbent halfback at the moment.

“We are not quite sure with Nathan Cleary, so I took both of them over to the World Cup in 2022, so we don’t know where Nathan stands at the end of the year as well.”

Meninga was pressed if he would make changes to the side that were thrashed by New Zealand in the Pacific Championships final last year.

“It gives us an opportunity to look at our squad definitely,” Meninga said.

“But I always maintain we pick an Australian side for the present.

“Sometimes we have a view to the future, but it is the best players in their position at that particular time.

“That’s how we go about our business, so whoever is playing well at that time deserves to get an Australian jersey.”

Meninga revealed Trbojevic will likely be considered at centre if he is fit.

“Tommy’s last game was in 2018 because of his injuries he has struggled to be around and available at that time,” Meninga said.

“There is no doubt if he was available he would be playing. He is one of our greatest players in our game and some say our best fullback.

“But in representative football you put all your best players in there and then you try and fit them in as much as you can.

“Tommy played right centre in 2018 and did a terrific job at that.”

Meninga also hinted incumbent Kangaroos skipper James Tedesco may have a future in the Kangaroos given his sizzling form, despite losing his Blues jersey to Dylan Edwards.

“You can’t question his ability, honestly,” Meninga said.

“He’s a super player and a great leader and to put in a performance like that, in a major game, to make the difference, extraordinary performance but that’s what he’s capable of.”

HORROR START AND DEFENSIVE WOES DEAL MANLY MASSIVE BLOW

It simply cannot be understated how important the start of a finals match is. Nail it and you lay the platform and set the temp for how you’ll fare for the rest of the contest.

For Manly, they couldn’t have gotten off to a worst start in their semi final loss to the Roosters, losing two players to HIAs inside the first 20 seconds of the game before conceding the game’s opening try after 11 minutes to Victor Radley.

Right from the word go the Sea Eagles were significantly behind the eight ball and chasing the game, as opposed to taking it on head on.

Such a staggered, borderline disastrous start, was too much for Anthony Seibold’s side to overcome against an experienced Roosters outfit.

“Manly to be honest were missing tackles from the word go,” Roosters premiership winner Cooper Cronk said on Fox League’s post-game coverage.

“The Roosters won the little battle but Manly were right up for it but the carnage early on (hurt them).

“There’s no doubt Seibold wound up his team too for the big moments too because they got a lot of confidence after beating the Bulldogs last week but to take down the Roosters physically they had to start (well) it’s just they fell (copped injuries) at the start.”

Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga believes their horror start to the contest “rattled” the Sea Eagles, while the Roosters’ start “was what the doctor ordered for them.”

According to the Fox Sports Lab, Manly had missed 11 tackles, made three errors and conceded three penalties inside the game’s opening 20 minutes, during which time the Roosters had the better of the possession and field position.

Speaking in the post-game press conference, Sea Eagles skipper Daly Cherry-Evans conceded his team got a “bit too crazy” during the game’s opening stages, conceding “that’s just not the start you need in a semi final game.”

However, it wasn’t just their staggered beginning to the do-or-die contest that undid the Sea Eagles, with Cronk noting defensive issues impacted Manly’s chances of victory.

“Cherry-Evans was missing a lot of tackles and ultimately the Roosters got ascendancy and got away,” he said.

Manly’s No.7 finished the game with five of his side’s 41 missed tackles and in the eyes of Corey Parker was clearly targeted by the Roosters, in particular Angus Crichton.

“DCE made 27 tackles. I don’t recall the last time DCE’s made 27 tackles so it’s obviously a directive to go at him and use him up,” he said.

Parker was quick to note it wasn’t just the Sea Eagles skipper whose defence wasn’t light years away from finals standards.

“What we saw defensively from Manly Sea Eagles just wasn’t up to scratch,” he said.