July 11, 2026 — 5:15pmDolphins leader Tom Gilbert has issued a dejected apology to the club’s fans, after his side’s shambolic display in the face of a Braydon Trindall and Nicho Hynes Cronulla masterclass at their spiritual home turf in Redcliffe.For the first time in their short history, the Dolphins failed to score a point in the 66-0 drubbing, which has quickly turned their narrative from genuine NRL premiership contenders after eight-straight wins to one of desperate soul-searching.Nicho Hynes set a Sharks record for most points scored in a game.Getty Images“We are sorry to our fans, especially our Redcliffe fans. We will bounce back, but we have to address a few things in the short term,” Gilbert said.“We’re just embarrassed for that performance now, and we apologise to our fans for that.”Hynes set a Sharks record for most individual points in a game (30) with two tries and 11 goals, while he laid on three try assists in a second half demolition job. His halves partner Trindall celebrated his 27th birthday by having his fingerprints over everything in the opening stanza.While the Sharks were denied two tries early through some strong Dolphins defence, Trindall did not panic – regularly kicking to corners to slowly but surely build pressure.Braydon Trindall was exceptional, especially in the first half.Getty ImagesThe Dolphins’ decision not to take the two points on a close range penalty came back to haunt them after Thomas Flegler was found to have lost possession attempting to score, and after Cronulla charged back down field, Oregon Kaufusi showcased his strength to open the scoring.It was from that moment Trindall went to work – his pinpoint grubber brilliantly chased by KL Iro to extend their lead.On the Sharks’ very next set, an exceptional kick chase on the Trindall bomb drove Jamayne Isaako into touch from more than 10 metres in field. His decision to then run the ball on the last tackle four minutes later also reaped rewards for Sione Katoa after Will Kennedy’s delicate kick of his own.But for all the tricks Trindall had pulled out, his best was still to come – a spiralling Harbour Bridge pass for Ronaldo Mulitalo to cross untouched silencing the Redcliffe crowd and make the procession four tries in just 15 minutes.“He’s just a special talent and a special player, I don’t think he realises what’s possible either,” Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon said of Trindall.“Sometimes your biggest strengths are your biggest weaknesses, and Tricky’s talent is just so strong – he can kick, play and can do it all – but he’s starting to identify that’s not a gift, you just can’t do it some weeks and not others.“He’s doing it every week, and that makes the Sharks a stronger team.”By the second half, Hynes took over.“He deserves credit because he doesn’t get enough in my opinion. Statistically speaking, over the last five years, that guy’s in the top few halves in the comp,” Fitzgibbon said.“The narrative outweighs what he actually does, and I’m most pleased him and ‘Tricky’ [Trindall] are building together.”In contrast, when the Dolphins did have opportunities, they barely troubled the Sharks defence, having been lauded premiership contenders until what was an insipid Saturday performance.Aside from Flegler’s mistake, and Tevita Naufahu being dragged into touch late in the opening stanza, any chance they got in the Cronulla red zone was easily diffused, and shone a harsh light on what they are missing without halfback Isaiay Katoa.Nicho Hynes scored 30 of his side’s 66 unanswered points.Getty ImagesThe 22-year-old will miss at least another two weeks after suffering a fractured arm against the Warriors in round 17, with his replacement Brad Schneider unable to pose as many questions or link up with halves partner Kodi Nikorima as effectively.Katoa’s ability to dig deep into the defensive line has been pivotal in igniting Nikorima and unleashing his strike weapons – spearheaded by Herbie Farnworth. The young No.7 leads the competition for line break involvements (20) and sits in the NRL’s top five for line engagements (81).But without him, the Dolphins rarely caused trouble – Farnworth limited to just 28 running metres from four carries in the first half.“Isaiya couldn’t help us tonight,” coach Kristian Woolf said.Woolf rested State of Origin superstars Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow and Selwyn Cobbo, while Blues debutant Jack Bostock was unavailable after suffering concussion on Wednesday night.Thomas Flegler backed up for the Dolphins after featuring in Queensland’s State of Origin defeat.Getty ImagesMax Plath and Flegler both backed up, but were unable to ignite a forward pack collective in which each member of the pack failed to surpass 70 metres for the afternoon.Plath limped off early in the second half with an ankle injury, and was forced to watch the Sharks break away after back-to-back defensive sets on their line as he did.Cronulla scored from that opportunity, with Hynes putting Iro over for his second try. From their next set, some ad lib play from Trindall and Hynes put Jesse Ramien over, before Hynes cleaned up a dropped Trindall bomb to score himself and Katoa picked up his second.A simple short pass from Hynes back on the inside for Tom Hazelton to bring up the half-century was symbolic of how far the Dolphins faded – with no supporting defenders coming in a lazy display. Equally flimsy tackle attempts allowed Hynes to stroll through, with a Hazelton break with a minute remaining creating the chance for Ramien to claim a brace.The result ensures Kayo Stadium has been an unhappy hunting ground for the Dolphins in 2026 – having lost 52-18 against Manly earlier in the season.“It was embarrassing last time, and it’s probably more embarrassing now. We had a real emphasis on making sure those performances don’t happen again, let alone here,” Gilbert said.But it was across the board the Dolphins struggled to make an impact – completing just 14 of 22 sets in the first half, a figure which only marginally improved to 69 per cent for the match.The result follows last week’s 13-12 defeat to Newcastle which ended an eight-game winning run, with one of the game’s most lethal attacking units suddenly looking far from it since Katoa was sidelined. It marked the first time in their history they had been kept scoreless, with Trindall producing two try-savers on a runaway Isaako.Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.From our partners