Heritage, Hynes and home: Best to follow coach Nicho's path of cultural connection

Bradman Best plans to follow Nicho Hynes and visit Tingha in the off-season in a bid to learn more about his Indigenous heritage after the Best family made key discoveries two years ago.

Best, who will line up against Hynes on Sunday, was coached by the Sharks halfback on the Central Coast when he started playing touch football as a 10-year-old. 

The 22-year-old hopes the trip can deliver more answers following his great-grandmother’s passing in 2021 and used Hynes' own journey as an example to why he wants to explore more about his family's Indigenous history. 

Hynes has been on a similar path in recent years to learn more about his heritage with Best looking up to his former mentor from a young age.

“Nicho’s come a really long way with learning about his family’s background and that has paved the way for someone like me to do the same,” Best told NRL.com.

“Since he’s researched more and been open he became the best player in the game last year and has had another unreal season.

“He was from down my way on the Central Coast and used to coach me in touch when I was a kid.

“They say you always have a connection with Indigenous people and I was always hanging around Koori kids growing up through footy or at school.

“My family is originally from Tingha. My great grandmother was part of the stolen generation so I’m going to go out there in the off-season and find out more and connect to country.

"When she passed about two years ago we had an inkling she could’ve been Indigenous. She was one of 10 but was quite private about her upbringing and didn’t ever want to talk about it.

“We are now on a path with wanting to find out more and it’s really open and hard to comprehend what they went through so to learn about it now it’s become important to me.

“What I’m learning is back then they don’t talk about it because it can be shameful but I’m going to hopefully help and inspire others.

“I’ve got good people here at the club that are helping me with that and old faces like Owen Craigie is from around there. I am definitely on a journey and want to find out as much as I can."

Best also has plans to crack into the Indigenous All Stars team in 2024 as part of his learning experience and after being immersed in the Origin environment alongside Cody Walker and Josh Addo-Carr in July.

The Blues left edge featuring the trio all fired with Best even breaking out a shake-a-leg after scoring his second try.

“Foxxy was into me all week about always representing so that came out after the try,” Best said.

“They were great guys to be around that week and I’d really love to experience All-Stars off the back of that and get the chance to represent my mob.

“But I want to head out to Tingha and go on that journey in the off-season first.”

In the meantime, Best has a job to do at the Knights after returning from a mid-season trip to Bali, where he helped a friend build a family home during the bye week, in astonishing form.

The Knights can lock in a finals berth, which appeared unlikely two months ago before the side racked up seven-straight wins since June, with victory against the Sharks.

“I’ve been loving footy all year but to play Origin was a dream come true and then to come back and keep winning with these boys the confidence and belief is at an all-time high," Best said.

“We’ve been training really hard and every day the boys are in there’s a good energy and feeling.”