Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon has launched a spirited defence of under fire Blues halfback Nathan Cleary, along with his own playmaker Nicho Hynes.

Speaking after the Sharks’ 24-12 win over the Dolphins at Sharks Stadium on Friday night, Fitzgibbon took aim at critics of Hynes, who played a starring role with two tries, amassing 16 points for the night.

But the Sharks’ mentor also went into bat for Cleary, who has come under criticism for his performance in the Origin decider on Wednesday night.

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Cleary now has an 8-9 winning record in Origin, with three losses in deciders, but he found an unlikely ally in Fitzgibbon.

“Honestly, I walked into the press conference at the captain’s run,” Fitzgibbon said.

“The first question I got asked was about Nathan Cleary.

“That guy’s a champion. He’s an out and out champion half of our game.

“He’s won four comps in a row. What else does that guy have to do?

“If you don’t win a game, you get criticised. But the magnitude of that is amazing to me. For the stars of our game, and the champions of our game.

“It’s actually disappointing to be honest. We should be applauding those guys. Yeah, (NSW) didn’t win. Didn’t get the job done. You deserve criticism for an actual performance.

“But the magnitude of that’s grown.”

Fitzgibbon said Hynes could certainly relate to the criticism that has come Cleary’s way.

“Nicho’s been through plenty of that,” Fitzgibbon said.

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