Nicho Hynes' year from hell gets even worse as he receives news no footy star wants to hear

Nicho Hynes is in a race to play for Cronulla again before the NRL finals after scans revealed a fractured ankle and complete rupture of the syndesmosis ligament.

Cronulla on Tuesday confirmed the worst possible news for their star halfback, who will miss approximately eight weeks with the injury.

Hynes went down at Sharks training on Monday, and was helped off the park by two men before being sent for scans.

The 2022 Dally M Medallist has seen specialists since then, and is now unlikely to return until at least the eve of the finals.

'It has been confirmed that Nicho has a complete syndesmosis rupture, plus a tibia fracture to his left ankle,' Sharks performance boss Nathan Pickworth said.

'He will undergo surgery tomorrow [Wednesday], with an estimated return to the field of approximately eight weeks.'

The injury comes as a massive blow to the Sharks, who have lost five of their past six games to fall from first to fourth on the ladder.

Sitting pretty for the minor premiership two months ago, Cronulla are now only four points clear of 10th-placed St George Illawarra.

Dan Atkinson will come into the halves in place of Hynes, and will partner Braydon Trindall.

Forward Jack Williams is also expected to miss Friday's clash with Wests Tigers with a wrist injury.

It's been a rough month for Hynes, whose Sharks were disappointing in a shock loss to the Titans last Friday night.

The week before Hynes had the chance to snatch victory against Canterbury when the slow-starting Sharks rolled into the red zone.

But the 28-year-old shanked his shot from 18 metres out and directly in front, Matt Burton sealing the Bulldogs' 15-14 victory with his own long-range strike only a minute later.

The miss continued a bumpy few weeks for the 2022 Dally M Medallist.

Hynes found himself dropped as NSW halfback following the State of Origin series opener after struggling to rouse the 12-man Blues into the contest at Accor Stadium.

In his first game after Origin I, Hynes also missed a sideline conversion attempt that could have sent the Sharks to extra time against the Dolphins, who instead escaped with 30-28 win.

Coach Craig Fitzgibbon said in the long-term, Hynes' miskick against the Bulldogs would do him good.

'It's going to shape him,' the Sharks coach said.

'He's got to go through it, it's part of the responsibility for him. He's accepting of that. He's been stung before, he's carried his divots a little bit but the last couple of weeks, he acknowledges it.'