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Important SN update for Southland'Mental lapses': Cronulla star on frustrating season
Rachel Jackson, AAP • June 26th, 2025 9:30 am
Star Cronulla recruit Addin Fonua-Blake has admitted to switching off during games | Photo: Jono Searle/AAP
Star Cronulla signing Addin Fonua-Blake has admitted to checking-out during games, but says the Sharks must urgently hit form to resuscitate their NRL season.
Sixth-placed Cronulla have the worst win percentage against the other top-eight sides, claiming only one win from seven this season.
Since their shock five-point win over Melbourne in round 11, Craig Fitzgibbon's men have won just one game and fallen to three top-eight sides.
Fonua-Blake was touted as the missing piece in the Sharks' premiership puzzle on arrival from the Warriors this year, but admitted he has been below his best during the form slump.
"I've had a few mental lapses in the game on the weekend and in the few games I've dropped on along the way this year," he said.
"I want to be doing everything I can to make sure that I help the team perform as best they can."
Sunday's rematch against the Storm at AAMI Park is shaping to be one of the biggest tests to date for the Sharks, with just two competition points separating fifth from 11th.
"(I) feel like every game is pretty urgent. We don't want to be where we're sitting at the moment," Fonua-Blake said.
"We've dropped a few on the run now and we can't afford to drop any more."
Fonua-Blake says Nicho Hynes (r) has unfairly copped most of the blame for Cronulla's losses | Photo: Dan Himbrechts/AAP
Halfback Nicho Hynes has been highly criticised for his contribution to the team's performance, but Fonua-Blake dismissed the idea.
"It's not right that Nicho wears all the punishment and all the pressure is on his shoulders," he said.
"I'm pretty sure out of the 17 blokes that took the field 17 of us would put our hand up and say we weren't good enough. So Nicho's unrightfully been the easy scapegoat over a few years."
Teammate Teig Wilton argued discipline was key to finding form.
"It's our discipline around our game plan, and our discipline to have attention to detail, to little things," he said.
"It's not easy to win in this comp, and if you're a little bit off in too many areas, you obviously pay for it and that's what happened."
The edge forward was hospitalised on Sunday after copping a poke in the eye against Brisbane, but said the injury won't affect his game this week.
"I just got a bit of a poke and got a bit of a scratch across the surface so I just couldn't really see for a few hours," he said.
"But it's coming good, it heals pretty quick so I'm happy with it."
Wilton said both physical and mental aspects of the game were a focus for Cronulla's crucial coming weeks.
"Coaching staff put so much effort into us and the fans they can see that we have the talent and we have the ability, and when we don't perform on our potential, I think it can be frustrating," he said.
