Trindall pushing through pain in premiership pursuit
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Cronulla five-eighth Braydon Trindall has set his sights on leading his side on a deep finals run after making a successful return from a shoulder injury.
The playmaker lined up on Saturday night for his first game since dislocating his shoulder in Round 24. While he was in visible discomfort at times throughout the 26-16 elimination final victory over the Cowboys, Trindall played out the full 80 minutes and got through the match unscathed.
From the field: Braydon Trindall
The five-eighth recognises the Sharks attack was clunky at times throughout the contest but he’s confident they will be a well-oiled machine by the time next week’s semi-final rolls around.
“It’s good to get a bit of rust out there tonight,” Trindall said post-game. “There were a few opportunities I could have iced so I’ll go look at the video and we’ll get ready for next week.
“We’ve got the team [that can go deep] and the boys are ready for it so we’ll rest up and get ready for next week.”
Match: Sharks v Cowboys
Finals Week 1 -
home Team
Sharks
5th Position
away Team
Cowboys
8th Position
Venue: Allianz Stadium, Sydney
Cronulla will play the loser of Sunday afternoon's qualifying final between the Panthers and Roosters, while the winner will progress to the preliminary final.
The Sharks largely controlled Saturday’s clash with the Cowboys, with Trindall using his booming right boot to put his side on the front foot throughout the contest.
While he’d prefer to be 100% healthy at the business-end of the season, Trindall has been in this position before.
The 27-year-old suffered a shoulder injury midway through the 2024 campaign but returned to help the Sharks progress to the preliminary final, where they ultimately fell to the Panthers.
Sione Katoa Try
Trindall will draw on that experience over the next fortnight as Cronulla put their season on the line.
“I played about half a year with it [two years ago] so it’s nothing new to me,” Trindall said. “That makes it a bit easier, having gone through it once already.
“I knew [the pain] was coming during the week so I just had to get my mentality right knowing I had to get through it. I toughed it out so I’ll take plenty of confidence after making a few tackles.”
There were initial fears Trindall’s season was over when he dislocated his shoulder early in the Round 24 loss to the Raiders however the five-eighth said he was always confident he’d be back in time for the finals.
The 27-year-old was back running just a couple of days after suffering the injury and was able to participate in non-contact drills before slowly introducing tackling to the rehab process.
While Cronulla endured a challenging month with Trindall sidelined, the five-eighth’s return helped unlock halfback Nicho Hynes and the pair are eager to build on Saturday night’s performance.
Nicholas Hynes Try
Trindall is not the only Cronulla star playing through the pain in their bid for a breakthrough premiership, with Ronaldo Mulitalo battling a thumb injury suffered last week.
Given what Trindall’s gone through to get back on the pitch, Mulitalo said it’s easy to put his own pain aside throughout the finals series.
“Braydon will put his body on the line for the team and that’s what we expect from him,“ Mulitalo said. “That’s what a champion player does, he turns out for his team regardless of the injury.
“I’m proud of him and the mental toughness to get out there and perform.
“Our staff did an awesome job getting him back. Now we’ve got one game out of the way hopefully we can build some momentum going into next week.”
