“Next week, the week after, or the one after that”: Hynes back up and running but return date unclear

Nicho Hynes is back up and running as he recovers from injury, but coach Craig Fitzgibbon has refused to set a date for his return.

The star halfback missed the season-opening loss to the South Sydney Rabbitohs last weekend, and won't feature in Round 2's Friday night contest against the Parramatta Eels.

It was originally hoped he would be fit to return by Round 2 at the latest, but Fitzgibbon said it would all be down to how he handled load training as he continues getting back to full fitness.

"We are hoping for him to play every week, but what it is, it isn't a big injury," Fitzgibbon told the media on Thursday.

"It's just in a really delicate position in his calf, but he is back running, so making a call, it's almost day-by-day, week-by-week sort of stuff.

"The game load - you need to train to an appropriate level to be able to manage the load he would put through a game, so once we get back up around that, we can start making a call on the exact times."

Fitzgibbon admitted the Sharks will have a shot at playing him next week, but he wasn't sure whether it would come to fruition yet, although given the 'day-by-day' nature, a Sunday evening game against the Canberra Raiders in the nation's capital will likely give Hynes the best chance of recovery to make his season start in Round 3.

"We will have a shot at next week, but whether he gets there or not, I'm not sure," Fitzgibbon said when quizzed.

"Not full team training yet, but he is back on his feet and doing some training.

"It might be next week, it might be the week after, it might be the one after that. The response to his training will determine how long that takes."

Hynes, who won last year's Dally M Medal in a one-man show, took the Sharks all the way to the semi-finals after the black, white and blue upset the competition to wind up in the top four at the end of the regular season.

They would ultimately be bounced out of the finals in straight sets, but the Indigenous All Stars halfback was clearly missed last weekend in a 27 points to 18 loss at the hands of the South Sydney Rabbitohs - the same side who knocked Fitzgibbon's side out of the finals last year.

Following next Sunday's clash against the Raiders, the Sharks play the St George Illawarra Dragons and New Zealand Warriors before being slated to have their first bye of the season in Round 6.