Cronulla’s superstar Nicho Hynes is the grandson of a Wiradjuri man and that legacy has dominated his thinking and perception of himself from the moment he knew about it.
As he grew he blossomed into his culture and at the moment he plays not only for his Cronulla Sharks but also the Indigenous All-Star NRL side and is very proud to be, in his words, ‘an Aboriginal man’.
But it wasn’t always clear that he was in his own skin, because during the journey ahead, it was a rather broken road that led him straight to his native consciousness.
Hynes, the reigning Dally M Player of the Year, put his personal life in significant perspective as he revealed heartbreaking details about his childhood.
He didn’t even know his mother’s father was Aboriginal until he was 12 and when he found out he started to learn more about his heritage and the Wiradjuri culture.
Nicho Hynes to Jack Wighton’s left and Latrell Mitchell won the coveted Preston Campbell award at the 2023 Indigenous All-Star game
The Sharks star stunned in an exclusive News Corp. photoshoot
Hynes was featured in Stellar, News Corp’s magazine
“You’re too white to be black,” all the kids at school were told to me when I found out,” Hynes told the Daily telegram‘s Lifestyle magazine, Stellar.
“And I went into my shell about it because at the time I really cared about what people were saying and it touched me.”
“But there’s something beautiful about rugby league where you can get in touch with your culture and learn more about it.”
That’s what Hynes did.
Developing his rugby league skills, he initially found a home with Manly in that club’s under-20 club and away from footy he worked as a school teacher’s aid.
All the while he became obsessed with learning about his culture.
The spell at Manly was a good base in the league but they cut him off so he went to the Melbourne Storm and it was here that he was noticed as a player with high quality potential.
Hynes now lives in the Shire (pictured) and has signed a $7 million contract to continue playing with the Cronulla Sharks
Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy used him as a super-sub and he filled most positions, and that style of play combined with his extremely likeable demeanor on and off the field caught the attention of the Sharks hierarchy.
When they called looking for a breakthrough halfback, he initially accepted a three-year deal with Cronulla that just a few weeks ago turned into the biggest contract offer in Sharks history as he inked his way to another five years for $7 million.
Life right now is amazing for Hynes, but that broken road led him down a garden path to ruin when he was young.
When he was young and throughout his adult life, he had to watch his mother go in and out of prison on drug charges. It was embarrassing and humiliating and, in his words, could very easily have led him to drink.
But he had promised himself as a five-year-old that he would be a footy star and it was that promise that got him through the heartbreak and disappointments.
As each year passed, he hardened further and learned a lot about his culture along the way, which helped him.
While at camp with the Indigenous All-Stars, Aboriginal Elders came to camp and Hynes grilled them, desperate to learn his past and equip himself with knowledge of the Indigenous people past and present.
Not only did it fascinate him, it nurtured him as he grew into his Aboriginal skin, and he made a further commitment to becoming a spokesperson and leader for his community.
Hynes is the spearhead and soul of the Cronulla Sharks
Hynes was seen leaving court in May 2023 with his troubled mother Julie following behind
In 2022, Hynes won the most coveted title in the NRL Dally M Player Of The Year
Now that he has signed this huge contract with Cronulla, he plans to start a foundation for indigenous youth. He sees his increasing fame not just as a platform for help, but as an obligatory thing to do.
“It’s such an amazing culture to be a part of and I’m not afraid to share it,” he said.
“I don’t care about the color of my skin. All that matters is what’s in me and in my heart and who I am as a person. I am so proud to be an Aboriginal man and I try to inspire the young children like me who are lighter skinned to come out and be proud of a younger age than I was.”
From where he was as a preteen, through his rocky start in football at Manly, all the while having his personal life interrupted by his mother’s situation, to where he is today is pretty much the stuff of cinema.
He has overcome all difficulties, survived and prospered through the hardships.
Being a foundation owner and spokesperson for the youth of his origin is now a passion and a calling that seems to suit him well.
“Inspiring the next generation of Indigenous people, or just anyone in general, to know that they can do it too, well, I’m immensely grateful to be in the position I’m in.”