Why Sharks star protected himself from inevitable September pile-on [Video]

Cronulla halfback Nicho Hynes was blissfully unaware of the calls for him to be dropped from the Sharks’ starting side, having unplugged his social media accounts due to the inevitable September pile-on he has become used to.

The Sharks are looking to avoid an eighth straight finals defeat when they face the Cowboys on Friday – and chief playmaker Hynes knows a win is the only way to silence his critics. Chief among them is TV and radio pundit Greg Alexander, who called for Hynes’ axing for Friday’s final.

Hynes admitted he had to improve on his display against Melbourne but was grateful he had not been exposed to the running commentary about his big-game performances.

The 28-year-old also came under fire for his Origin I outing for NSW and was unable to land the winning field-goal …