SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – MARCH 19: Nicholas Hynes of the Sharks runs with the ball during the round two NRL match between the Cronulla Sharks and the Parramatta Eels at PointsBet Stadium, on March 19, 2022, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
Cronulla Sharks gun Nicho Hynes is back in contention for Zero Tackle’s NRL MVP award, but has a mountain to climb in the final two weeks of the season with Cameron Munster and James Tedesco kicking clear at the top.
With only two weeks remaining, a maximum of 40 votes can be gained by any one player, meaning only six contenders are left in the fight.
Cameron Munster maintains his lead, sitting on 216 votes, while James Tedesco is 9 behind on 207. The other players left in contention mathematically are Joseph Tapine (197), Nicho Hynes (190), Ben Hunt (187) and Dylan Edwards (182).
Scott Drinkwater sits seventh, but is only on 155 – a distant 27 votes behind Edwards.
That means, barring a diaster, the top five will be made up out of the current top six, with all of those players claiming votes over what was a mainly one-sided Round 23.
Nicho Hynes was the only one to claim perfect votes in that group though and has closed the margin on those ahead of him.
Here are all the Round 23 votes.
South Sydney Rabbitohs vs Penrith Panthers
In what was one of only two close games across the weekend, the understrength Panthers were able to squeeze out a victory over the Rabbitohs, who face more questions than answers coming out of the game. Sean O’Sullivan stood up in Nathan Cleary’s absence, while Dylan Edwards was again fantastic at fullback.
North Queensland Cowboys vs New Zealand Warriors
The Cowboys ran up 48 against the Warriors, and it was a performance led by the halves with Tom Dearden and Chad Townsend gaining 20 and 15 votes out of the game respectively. Luciano Leilua, Reuben Cotter and Jason Taumalolo were the other players included, although, in truth, there wasn’t a bad performance from a Cowboy – a trend we will see a lot of for winning teams this weekend.
Brisbane Broncos vs Melbourne Storm
It’s rare that a team can run up 60 and have a forward as their best player, but arguably, Nelson Asofa-Solomona was just that as they thumped the Brisbane Broncos. Harry Grant, Cameron Munster and Justin Olam were the other players at or near the top of the list for Craig Bellamy’s side.
Parramatta Eels vs Canterbury Bulldogs
The Eels managed to go flying past the Bulldogs on Saturday afternoon, taking revenge for the shock defeat they were dealt at the hands of Canterbury on the Queen’s Birthday public holiday. Dylan Brown and Mitchell Moses led the way, while outgoing forward Isaiah Papali’i continued his strong performance.
Manly Sea Eagles vs Cronulla Sharks
It was the Nicho Hynes show as the Sharks dished out a beatdown of the Sea Eagles. He scored a double and assisted another couple as Cronulla ran up 40. Lachlan Miller was incredibly dangerous and now must be fighting for a more permanent spot in Craig Fitzgibbon’s side as well.
Sydney Roosters vs Wests Tigers
The Roosters scored a staggering 72 points against the Tigers, entering the top five for biggest winning margin and biggest points total in this sport’s more than 100-year history at the top level. Angus Crichton and Nat Butcher scored seven tries between them and take all of the top spots.
St George Illawarra Dragons vs Gold Coast Titans
Jack Bird was phenomenal for the Dragons, as was Tautau Moga, with both playing potentially their best games since joining the club. Incredibly, the Dragons were able to go from a four-point lead to a comfortable win after being reduced to 12, when Francis Molo was sent off.
Newcastle Knights vs Canberra Raiders
In a topsy-turvy game marred by poor goal kicking, the Raiders kept their finals hopes alive with a strong win. Ultimately, it was dominance in the forwards which got the job done, with Hudson Young and Joseph Tapine leading the way, while Xavier Savage was also phenomenal again.
Top ten
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Source:: ZeroTackle
