BY CURTIS WOODWARD

@woodward_curtis

Sydney Roosters halfback Sandon Smith, in the team for the remainder of the season after replacing Sam Walker, is just one win away from a fairytale grand final appearance and could come up against fellow Central Coast junior Nicho Hynes.

Smith only recently came into the top side after Walker suffered an ACL injury in round 26 against Canberra but Smith understands the pressure the former Dally M Medal winner Hynes is under.

“I know Nicho, he’s a Central Coast boy as well, so I might have to give him a message,” Smith said ahead of the Roosters’ preliminary final against the Melbourne Storm.

“It’s something you’re going to have to get used to with the No.7 on your back. You’ve got to perform.

“It’s definitely a learning curve… you’ve got to block it out sometimes.

“Those people internally in the club and the coaches, all the people that really matter and influence me as a person and a player, they’re the people you’ve got to lean on in those times.”

21-year-old Smith, who debuted in the NRL just last season, represented Kincumber Colts at junior level and came through the Roosters academy while Hynes played for both Umina Bunnies and Woy Woy Roosters and has represented Australia and New South Wales.

In a parallel universe, Hynes and Smith could have been the starting halves for the Central Coast Bears and preparing for a preliminary final in the black, red and white in their own background in Gosford this weekend in front of family and friends.

The Roosters disposed of Tom Trbvojevic and the Eagles 40-16 who limped into week two after a heart-stopping win in the opening week of the playoffs against the Bulldogs 24-22.

Smith was one of the Tricolours best alongside skipper James Tedesco with the young pivot scoring a try and running for almost 100 metres in his 14th appearance for the season.

But it was Cronulla who turned heads last weekend – breaking the shackles of a horrendous losing record in the finals in recent seasons.

Hynes was impressive but it was his halves partner Brayden Trindall who took the majority of the responsibility in the man-of-the-match performance and a 26-18 victory over North Queensland.

“Yeah, he [Trindall] had the highlight moments,” Fitzgibbon said.

“Are we going to talk about his halves partner [Hynes]? I thought he was pretty good too.

“I thought the balance of the combination with him and Nicho worked really well. They just didn’t get in each other’s road, they used each other really, really well.

“Sometimes on-ball, off-ball, who was kicking. Tricky did the lion’s share of kicking tonight.”

Hynes’ Cronulla and Smith’s Roosters will start as outsiders in the grand final qualifiers against the three-time champion Penrith Panthers and the Storm respectively.

@woodward_curtis

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