Nicho Hynes has clarified his personal life after an Instagram post prompted fans to think he had come out as gay.

The Cronulla Sharks recruit uploaded a photo of himself with a man who had his arm around his shoulder.

What happened?

The post was initially captioned “my guy” with a purple heart emoji but has since changed to “best mate”.

Nicho Hynes said he had only become aware of the unexpected response to his photo on Wednesday.

Why it matters for Nicho Hynes

Hynes wrote that he has nothing against the gay community and completely supports them.

He posted a photo of his best mate and it was made out that the post was him expressing he was his partner, which is not the case.

What comes next?

The post remains live on Hynes’ Instagram and has since received new comments from other friends and rugby league stars.

Nicho Hynes was unveiled by the Sharks this week after switching from the Melbourne Storm to Cronulla ahead of the 2022 season.

He will shift to the halves under new Cronulla coach Craig Fitzgibbon.

Hynes is one of Cronulla’s two new recruits from the Storm, with lock Dale Finucane also heading to the Sharks.

The 25-year-old was one of the Storm’s best on their run to a minor premiership this year after stepping in at fullback when Ryan Papenhuyzen missed several weeks due to concussion.

Nicho Hynes hopes the pair can bring some of the standards set at Melbourne to the Shire.

He said the end goal is to win a premiership and play finals footy.

Nicho Hynes has been fortunate to do that at the Storm.

He and Dale Finucane can bring some of those qualities to make this team into a winning team.

The Sharks have high expectations for the upcoming season.

Nicho Hynes is ready to take on the challenge.

He has played both fullback and halves in his NRL career.

Nicho Hynes likes to run the footy but also likes to set the players outside him up.

He is excited to work with Craig Fitzgibbon.

The coach has a lot of experience and can help him improve his game.

Nicho Hynes is looking forward to the new season.

He is eager to make a good impression and help the Sharks win.

The team has a lot of potential and he is excited to be a part of it.

Nicho Hynes is a talented player and can make a big impact.

He has already shown his skills in the NRL.

The Sharks are lucky to have him on their team.

Nicho Hynes is ready to take on the challenge and make the most of his opportunity.