Craig Bellamy loves the stories about young kids fulfilling their NRL dreams, but he couldn’t help but chuckle when hearing of Nicho Hynes’ fantasy yarn.
You know, the one about playing fullback for the Melbourne Storm in a high-stakes top-four clash with fellow title heavyweights South Sydney in Gosford.
“He reckons he circled this game because it was on the Central Coast and he said, ‘I’m going to get picked in that game’,” coach Bellamy said.
“And if he said that to me last week, I’m thinking, ‘Mate, you’re in fantasy world.”
“Then all of a sudden it happened. It was a little bit of an example of good things happening to good people. And he’s worked really hard to get here.”
Two years after being talked out of quitting the game by his family, Hynes made an understated debut in the Storm’s ten-point win over the Rabbitohs on Sunday.
Granted an exemption to play following injuries to Jahrome Hughes and Ryan Papenhuyzen, Hynes showed some classy touches in his home town.
One of them almost ended in a try to Suliasi Vunivalu, only for replays later show the Storm winger stepped on the sideline.
But Bellamy saw enough out of the 23-year-old to prove why the Storm will promote Hynes from their development squad into their top-30 next year.
“He looked a touch rusty at times but that’s only because he hasn’t played with these players. He’s had two training sessions in that position,” Bellamy said.
“I thought it was a tremendous performance and he certainly didn’t look out of place. I’m thinking he’s going to be playing plenty more first grade in the future.”
Bellamy is expecting both Hughes and Papenhuyzen to be back for next week’s encounter with Canberra, but didn’t rule out keeping Hynes in his 17.
The former Manly junior grew up playing in the halves.
“What Paps and Hughesy have done for us this year, I can’t leave them out. But I’m sure, we’ll try and find another position (for Hynes),” Bellamy said.
“He’s got a bit of size about him and whatever.
“But it’s a great story and one that we love seeing happen. We all get a bit emotional about it because we all seen what he’s been through.
“It’s a bit of icing on the cake when he does it in front of his family and friends.”
In a sour note, the versatile Brandon Smith could be out until the finals with a foot injury he suffered in training last week.