When Nicho Hynes is spotted training shirtless, his Cronulla teammates know it's a good sign.
Hynes is nearing a return to full training for the first time since having ankle surgery in July, giving the Sharks a massive lift ahead of the NRL finals.
The star halfback, at best, will put his hand up for selection in Cronulla's round-26 match against the Warriors.
If not, the club remains optimistic he'll play in their final regular-season clash against Manly.
Hynes underwent surgery ahead of their round-19 meeting with Wests Tigers after scans revealed a fractured ankle and complete rupture of the syndesmosis ligament sustained in training.
The prognosis then was that the 2022 Dally M Medallist would miss at least eight weeks.
Hynes took to the field at training on Wednesday to kick with his teammates, before resuming his separate program near the main group.
He is expected to return to full training with the team next week.
Poking fun at his teammate's penchant for training without a shirt, Sharks winger Ronaldo Mulitalo says Hynes' much-anticipated comeback will be a timely morale boost.
"He loves it. He's been doing his upper body so he walks around (shirtless)," Mulitalo said on Wednesday.
"What do you expect, hey? Good-looking bloke.
"He's been around the boys, so it's been good for us off the field.
"He's a massive part of our team, so to have him out there gives us confidence. It's good for the morale.
"Just really happy for him where he's at off the field, and really looking forward to his return."
Cronulla will be looking to strengthen their grip on a top-four finish when they take on local rivals St George Illawarra on Sunday.
Only two points clear of fifth-placed Canterbury, confirming a double chance in September will no doubt help the Sharks shake off their poor finals form.
Craig Fitzgibbon's men went out in straight sets in 2022 after finishing the regular season in second place, before losing at home to the Sydney Roosters in an elimination final in 2023.
But Mulitalo was wary of taking too much notice of outside noise around their finals history.
"It's more people's multis," he joked.
"Everyone says, 'mate, why I didn't score for their multis' but nah, I couldn't care less (about the outside noise).
"Everyone's going to back themselves in. We're definitely confident in where we're at, whether we have believers or not.
"We want to rewrite our history, so it's just about getting there (to finals) first."
