Latrell Mitchell detail called out as Nicho Hynes urged to make call to fellow NRL superstar

Braith Anasta has urged Nicho Hynes to reach out to Latrell Mitchell and have a conversation about dealing with criticism and overcoming adversity. Hynes has copped backlash in recent weeks and appears to have taken it to heart, but the Sharks are confident he can bounce back to form and help them end their slump.

The halfback has endured a tumultuous month to say the least. He was dropped from the NSW State of Origin team after an underwhelming display in Game 1 - albeit in a 12-man Blues team that was hampered by Joseph Suaalii's send-off.

It marked the second year in a row that Hynes copped the axe after a NSW loss in the first game of the series. With his spot still up in the air he missed a sideline conversion against the Dolphins that would have sent the game into extra-time - a telling miss considering he'd been kicking at 93 per cent this year.

And last weekend he failed to ice the game-winning field-goal against the Bulldogs from right in front and 15 metres out, before Matt Burton landed the winning one-pointer just seconds later. Hynes also missed two conversions out of three against the Dogs, which provided costly in the 15-14 loss.

Hynes spoke openly about suffering from mental demons when he was axed from the NSW team last year, and his form suffered a decline for a month before he bounced back and led the Sharks to the finals. It appears to be happening again this year, with Cronulla losing three in a row and falling from first on the ladder to third.

Nicho Hynes urged to reach out to Latrell Mitchell

Speaking on Monday, Hynes' Sharks teammates said he was in good spirits and eager to arrest their slide. And on NRL 360 later on Monday night, former NRL player Anasta said it might be good for the halfback to have a chat with Mitchell about what he's going through.

Mitchell has bounced back to his brilliant best over the last month and had a blinder for NSW in Origin 2 - his first game for the Blues since 2021. Mitchell also had a tumultuous start to the season and is one of the most heavily-criticised players in the game.

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But the 27-year-old always seems to be able to ignore the haters and rise to the occasion in big games. Mitchell has never lost a State of Origin series he's played in and has won two premierships with the Roosters.

“Latrell’s been there. Give Latrell a phone call," Anasta suggested. "Like honestly, look where he has come from two or three months ago."

Latrell Mitchell admits he considered retirement

In a candid interview before Origin 2, Mitchell admitted he seriously considered walking away from the NRL earlier this season at the height of the controversy engulfing him. "I didn’t want to go through another year of - you know - of heartache,” he told NRL reporter Michael Chammas. “But you cut back the layers and you can see the people who have made sacrifices for you and you want to make them proud.

“I just feel like a lot of people hate me and they don’t know me. A lot of people hate me to make me the villain all the time so I tend to shut the doors on who I am as a person. That’s how I am at the moment because that’s how I’ve been s*** on. But I’ve learnt a lot from those situations being young. And being taken advantage of.

“The way I act on the field is a bit of frustration from off the field. Acting out, it’s not the way to play footy. It’s not the game I love. These short bursts of anger. That’s not me. That’s what just builds up over time or over the week or a month or a year of people just constantly at me. If media just shut up and let me play. Honestly, if you shut up and let me play there’d be nothing controversial.”