NRL star Nicho Hynes reveals emotional meaning behind try celebration: 'I'm sending lots of love'
Four days after the sudden death of his father, Munster played an inspirational role in the Maroons' series-deciding 24-12 win in Sydney.
The new Queensland captain said he never considered sitting out the game, believing his father would have told him to return to camp and play the decider.
Hynes, who wrote 'Steven' on his wristband on Saturday, forged a close friendship with Munster while the pair played together in Melbourne.
Hynes revealed his post-try celebration for the first four-pointer was a tribute to Munster, performing a dance the pair used to do together while at the Storm.
'I've just been thinking about him a lot,' Hynes said afterwards.
First points on the board? ✔️ Fortnite moves? ✔️ pic.twitter.com/KB9aLcNTNr
— NRL (@NRL) July 11, 2025
'I've been talking to my girlfriend about it. It's like, that could have been me. That could be anyone waking up without their dad or a parent.
'I'm sending lots of love to his family. I just remember after games at Melbourne, seeing his old man and old lady in the sheds. Always smiling and happy.
'It touched me a lot, big time.'
Munster sat out Melbourne's trip to Newcastle on Saturday after returning to his family in Rockhampton following his inspirational effort in State of Origin III.
Hynes said he had watched Munster's game-three performance with pride, after the 30-year-old took him under his wing from the moment he arrived at Melbourne in late 2018.
'In my first pre-season there I was a nobody. I was literally there on a train-and-trial deal and he didn't have to give me any time of day,' Hynes said.
'But he ended up having me at his house for a couple of weeks and whenever he wanted to go for a feed, he'd ask me to go for a feed.
'He was just someone who was so nice and caring and wanted to help out and make me better.
'I looked up to him. I've looked up to him ever since I met him. He's just someone I idolise.
'Even now, seeing the way he's handled it and went out and performed the other night, I don't think I've seen and played with a better rugby league player live.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Go hard, go high - Jones pinpoints Wallabies' best hopes for first Test
Two-time former Australia coach Eddie Jones, who also spent seven years at the helm of England, says Saturday's first Test is Australia's best chance of upsetting the British and Irish Lions and combining a heavyweight pack and a kick-chase game is the hosts' best route to victory."Go big – get the Will Skelton and Taniela Tupou in," he said in his Planet Rugby column., external"They're both 50-minute players but they can be wrecking balls in those moments."Get the ball behind the Lions, one of the few things they've struggled with on tour, and get your chasers up hard and in a line to defend exit and pressure mistakes."Both the Lions and Australia name their matchday 23s on Thursday for the first Test.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
A 300-mile drive to Canberra by camper van, meeting a possible future Lions star... and will one of us have to get a tattoo of Mack Hansen's face?
Nik and Kev's Lions tour escapades took a twist this week as they hit Australia's roads in a camper van. They left the sun-kissed coastline of New South Wales for chillier climates in Canberra, where they were reunited with Mack Hansen (much to Kev's despair). From rubbing shoulders with rugby royalty, to meeting the man who could star on the 2029 Lions tour, there has been plenty going on. Here is what the guys got up to in the third episode of Roar & Uncut, in association with Dr Squatch. SUNDAY On our way to the Wallabies ' match against Fiji in Newcastle, we stopped for breakfast at the Sydney Oyster Farm. After gliding down the Hawksbury River by boat, we were dropped off at a secluded table in the water. A truly spectacular setting. We popped on a pair of waders and tucked into 18 oysters each, before getting back on the road to the McDonald Jones Stadium. MONDAY Packed and ready for the 300-mile drive to Canberra, we hitched a lift with Brooky, Daz and Aidey from Long Eaton Rugby Club. It was a scenic journey through valleys and woodlands, although chaos never seems to be far away on this trip. Just 20 minutes into the journey, our camper van broke down, resulting in a three-hour delay. We fuelled up with McDonald's at a remote service station before arriving at the Lions' press conference, at the Crowne Plaza Canberra by IHG, in the nick of time. TUESDAY In Canberra the Lions took on the Brumbies with the tourists winning 36-24 on the day Having sampled Canberra's café culture, it was time for the Lions' captain's run. The forwards were busy working on their restarts, which had been proving tricky in the early warm-up fixtures. We went for a drive in the van around the local area, checking out Parliament House, spotting a few wild kangaroos on the way. WEDNESDAY Gameday in Canberra, where the Brumbies were unable to spoil the Lions' unbeaten run in Australia. Before kick-off, we warmed up over a coffee with Wallaby legend George Gregan. After the match, we caught up with Lions winger Mack Hansen. Back in 2023, we spent a couple of days with Mack in Galway, swimming together in the Atlantic Ocean, before clocking off for a few pints of Guinness. One thing led to another and Mack ended up getting Andy Farrell's face tattooed onto his thigh. On the same night, Kev made a bet with Mack, agreeing to get his face tattooed if he scores a hat-trick for the Lions. Safe to say, I kept the evidence. THURSDAY Having saved enough IHG One Rewards Points from our first three weeks on tour, we logged onto the IHG app and booked ourselves back into the InterContinental Sydney. The Lions will be back here when they return to town for their final Test, but this week it has been taken over by the Wrexham's famous football team. We warmed up from our cold camper experience with a stint in the sauna, before enjoying a sundowner in the hotel's Aster bar, overlooking the glorious Opera House. FRIDAY Having been tipped off by a few rugby league insiders about Herbie Farnworth, we headed along to the Sharks' NRL match against the Dolphins under the Cronulla lights. The Englishman did not disappoint, scoring a spectacular breakaway try from inside his own half. After taking dozens of selfies with his fans, Farnworth stopped for a chat. Several union coaches have told me he has the skills to become a British and Irish Lion in 2029 and the 25-year-old from Burnley, who has two years remaining on his contract, told me he would love to try his hand at union one day. SATURDAY We caught the ferry from Circular Quay to Manly, where former England coach Anthony Seibold was waiting for us. Having worked with England during the Eddie Jones era, Seibold is now in charge of business at the Manly Sea Eagles in the NRL. We had a walk down Curl Curl beach before watching the Lions' victory over the AUNZ. To read Seibold's thoughts on the match, click here. Roar & Uncut comes to you in association with Dr Squatch, ensuring Nik and Kev are the best-smelling guys on tour. For more information on visiting Sydney and the rest of New South Wales, go to
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
JoJo Siwa's ex Kath Ebbs looks downcast as they land at Sydney airport after 'obsessed' Chris Hughes discussed marriage plans with Dance Moms star
JoJo Siwa 's ex Kath Ebbs looked downcast as they landed back at Sydney airport on Sunday after Chris Hughes broke his silence on romance with Dance Moms star. The singer, 22, dramatically split from Kath, 27, at the Celebrity Big Brother UK wrap party earlier this year after meeting her now-boyfriend Love Island star Chris, 32. Kath has now been spotted walking through the airport terminal solo as they looked serious while checking their phone. The LGBTQIA+ activist who is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns, cut a very casual figure in a pair of grey tracksuit bottoms which they teamed with a black hoodie and padded jacket. They styled their blonde locks in a messy bun as they kept their head down while listening to music following their flight. Kath carried a large backpack with a grey baseball cap attached to the top and kept comfortable in a pair of chunky trainers. Kath has been in Washington DC with JoJo's other ex Avery Cyrus, who dated the singer for three months back in 2022, as they celebrated Pride together. It comes days after Chris broke his silence on the unexpected romance with JoJo as he admitted he is 'obsessed' with the singer. It certainly wasn't a showbiz relationship anyone saw coming, and when the former reality star and the Dance Moms star met, JoJo was in a relationship with her ex partner Kath. Confirming on CBB that she identifies as queer, she has openly discussed how Chris is her first relationship with a man. And speaking to The Sun 's Fabulous Magazine, Chris hit back at accusations their relationship is fake, as he admitted: 'I've had more people call me 'gay' in the last two months of my life than ever before. But it doesn't bother me – as long as people aren't nasty, opinions are fine.' He revealed even he was surprised by the turn of events, and after a string of public relationships, he began to wonder whether there was anyone out there for him. He explained: 'Then meeting Joelle gave me this magical feeling. She is the most precious person....I'm obsessed with her. I'd do anything for her.' The star confessed the 10-year age gap doesn't phase him as you can't help who you fall in love with. And while it has only been a matter of months Chris can already see the relationship going the full way and believes it is forever. The LGBTQIA+ activist cut a very casual figure in a pair of grey tracksuit bottoms which they teamed with a black hoodie and padded jacket Discussing the prospect of marriage after confessing they both say 'I love you' every day, he hinted: 'I do see a forever here... I'd love to marry her. I'd be lying if I didn't tell you I run through scenarios of our wedding day.' He also revealed they both want children and he has received the seal of approval from her family after joining them on their Orlando holiday in May. Chris joined JoJo for her birthday trip alongside her parents Jessalynn and Tom and her brother Jayden and his fiancée Abby. The star is already been invited as JoJo's plus one to the family wedding next year as the couple continue to go from strength to strength, but he admitted the pair don't plan on moving in just yet and are prepared to carry on long distance. And Chris isn't the first one to mention marriage after JoJo previously admitted they had discussed putting a ring on it. Speaking to TMZ last month while enjoying dinner with pal James Charles, JoJo said said things between herself and Chris are 'going great.' She said: 'He is my favorite person in the world … It's beautiful, it kind of radiates. He's my favorite person and I am very grateful and very happy.' Admitting that she is missing her boyfriend, JoJo added that she 'wished he was there' with her. The star was then asked whether she had considered marriage with Chris yet, but she brushed it off by stating she has 'so many thoughts.' JoJo also revealed that she has 'never 'second guessed' what she feels for the reality star. 'Therefore, I've never second guessed my happiness, I've never second guessed what I'm feeling. And I think that's the most beautiful thing. When I think about him, I'm full of pure joy. When I speak about him, I'm full of pure joy.' Last week JoJo addressed rumours she could be pregnant after one of her videos went viral on TikTok. On Wednesday, she asked her fans to play the game '2 truths & a lie' - before she read out three statements, one being a lie and the other two being truthful. She then said: '1. I've never smoked a [cigarette] 2. I'm pregnant 3. This song comes out on Spotify Friday.' JoJo was playing into online speculation that she could be expecting after Chris gently rubbed his finger over her tummy during a recent TikTok video. Fans wrote things like, 'Pregnancy craving???' as she tucked into a plate of red food. Another wrote: 'When the pregnancy craving is red 40,' and another penned, 'r u pregnant?' After JoJo shared the 'two truths and a lie' video, social media users jumped to the comments to choose which option was the lie, while others applauded JoJo for nonchalantly poking fun at the pregnancy speculation. A fan typed, 'Everyone's saying it's 1 or 3, meaning everyone thinks she's pregnant,' and another added, 'You Gonna be a Dance mom.' 'Not you addressing the pregnancy rumors in the most hilarious fashion,' one shared, and another penned, 'Joelle not u egging on the pregnant rumors. Youre too funny.' Earlier this month, JoJo's exes Kath and Avery Cyrus teamed up for a TikTok video as they debuted their surprising friendship. Following Kath and JoJo's fallout, Kath made several not-so-subtle swipes at the singer on TikTok, which were swiftly deleted, but they have now added fuel to the fire by creating a new video with Avery. YouTuber Avery, who dated JoJo for three months back in 2022, shared a cheeky video of the pair dancing and lip syncing to the PinkPantheress track 'Illegal'. The song includes the lyric 'is this illegal? It feels illegal', while Kath - who uses they/them pronouns - also shared their own video also featuring JoJo's ex. The second clip showed the pair dancing to the Hilary Duff song, What Dreams Are Made Of, which featured in the teen movie, The Lizzie McGuire Movie. 'Sing for me Paolo,' Kath wrote in reference to the movie's love interest while tagging Avery in the caption. Their unlikely bond caused quite the stir among fans, with several commenting that Kath and Avery have created 'a Siwa support club'. Comments included: 'Is this like a support group lol; I didn't see that coming lol both jojo's exs; Is there like a gc or support group for jojos exes??; 'The collab we've all been waiting for; Omg I love it!! Therapy sessions; I would love to be a fly on the wall for their convos lol.'
