Inside one of NRL’s ‘poorest mysteries’... and how DCE won over Roosters with pre-season act

Sixteen years after making his NRL debut, Daly Cherry-Evans is staring down a farewell few could have scripted.

The 37-year-old is one win away from taking the Sydney Roosters to their first grand final since 2019.

It is a long way from where Cherry-Evans found himself earlier in the year.

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His messy exit from the Sea Eagles, months of speculation over his next move, the inevitable comparisons to Cooper Cronk and questions over whether he could still perform at the highest level all followed him to Bondi.

There were doubts over what his arrival would mean for the Roosters’ next generation, with Hugo Savala’s future among the talking points surrounding the move.

But while the outside noise followed Cherry-Evans to the club, so did an opportunity.

THE BITTER END AT MANLY…AND WORST KEPT SECRET

After 15 seasons, 352 matches and a premiership with the Sea Eagles, Cherry-Evans’ departure from the club became one of the biggest stories of the 2025 season.

In March, he announced 2025 would be his final season at Manly.

The surprising decision came after the Northern Beaches-based outfit opted not to table a formal offer to their longest-serving player.

Instead, the club said it would only move if another team put an offer on the table first.

That didn’t go down well with Cherry-Evans’ camp, although the Sea Eagles eventually put forward a two-year contract worth a reported $1.4 million to keep his services.

“They weren’t going to offer anything unless another club offered anything,” Cherry-Evans said on 100% Footy at the time.

Ultimately deciding against re-signing, it opened the door for rival teams to pounce on his signature, with the Roosters eventually emerging as the favoured destination.

The circumstances surrounding his departure, however, continued to leave a sour taste for some around Manly.

Mark ‘Spudd’ Carroll was among one of the club greats who were left frustrated by the timing and circumstances surrounding his decision

“I truly believe Manly would be playing finals footy if not for his selfish decision to abandon ship and the way he went about it,” he told The Nightly at the time.

“How you can go on a footy show – with no club gear on – and blindside so many people with such a major career call is beyond me.

“If DCE’s got a problem with me, I can live with that.

“I don’t have any regrets - but I’m not sure he can say the same thing.”

While the fallout at Manly was messy, the mood inside the Roosters’ four walls was very different.

Front-rower Lindsay Collins had heard the whispers but wasn’t convinced the move would actually come to fruition.

“I was surprised. We hear whispers about it, but you’re not too sure,” Collins told foxsports.com.au.

“I remember talking to him in Origin that year and he didn’t give me much, but he gave me an inkling so I had some sort of idea.

“It was exciting because it kind of felt like it was probably a missing piece as well as Reece Robson.

“Those two guys coming in and really owning that spine role and solidifying our spine and directing us around the park.”

However, by the time the deal was finally confirmed, even some of the players had grown tired of hearing about it.

Billy Smith described it as one of rugby league’s longest-running open secrets.

“It was one of rugby league’s greatest, poorest mysteries for about six months,” he chuckled when speaking to foxsports.com.au.

“We’d heard about it and then by the time it was official, everyone was over it. I think that was everyone’s reaction, to be honest with you.”

THE PRESSURE AND CRITICISM

When Cherry-Evans arrived at Bondi, it was with enormous expectations.

This wasn’t a veteran halfback joining a new club for one final season, like Chad Townsend the year before.

Instead, the Roosters were hoping he could copy what Cooper Cronk had done eight years earlier.

Leave a star-studded side, arrive at the Tricolours late in his career and help deliver another premiership.

“I can speak from personal experience that the move from him, from Manly to the Roosters, is (to reach the) Grand Final. That’s the expectation,” Cronk said on the Kayo Sports NRL Podcast before the season began.

“I think his time at the Roosters will be determined by what happens at the end of the year.

“He made a decision for himself and his family to move across and everyone sort of said before the season that the Roosters are primed for a shot at the title.”

The comparison to Cronk was inevitable.

But one glaring difference separated the two: their ages.

Cronk joined the Roosters at 32 and helped lead the side to back-to-back titles before retiring at the end of 2019.

Cherry-Evans, on the other hand, was 36 when he made the move, which put his age and form immediately under the microscope.

“DCE was making poor decisions and at the back end of last year, his defence for Manly was poor,” Braith Anasta said on NRL 360 in March.

“They’ve taken him on and made a lot of comparisons to Cooper Cronk, but Cronk was five years younger and in form and playing well.

“He’s five years older and he was out of form last year. It’s very different, so you can’t compare that.”

The scrutiny only intensified as Cherry-Evans settled into life at Bondi with CODE Sports Brent Read warning at the time that he had little left to offer.

“I’ll say this about DCE, he’s 37 and he’s played his best football,” Read said.

“He’s not getting better and I understand why they signed him to help to mentor Sam Walker.

“But that was a fear of mine and I think it was vindicated. I think DCE didn’t have a great night. Defensively, he was caught out a couple of times and it’s going to take him time.

“But at 37, I think he’s closer to the end than the beginning, that’s pretty obvious. “It is going to take time, which he doesn’t have, so I don’t know how that works out. Not well, I would suggest.”

Fellow reporter Dean Ritchie, from The Daily Telegraph, was equally as blunt when assessing his prospects.

“Absolutely there is pressure on him. He was poor. There’s no trying to sugar-coat that performance,” he added.

“I think the key issue is he’s 37. You don’t get better when you’re 37.”

Then there was another layer to the criticism which had nothing to do with the age of the former Queensland skipper.

This saw questions raised about what Cherry-Evans’ arrival meant for Hugo Savala’s future and the club’s plans for the next generation.

With Savala emerging as one of the club’s most promising halves, he could easily have left the Tricolours.

Instead, he embraced the opportunity to learn from one of the game’s most experienced playmakers.

“Probably a lot of stuff outside of football, the person he is and the way he conducts himself on the field and at training and the little parts of his game,” Savala said of what he has learned from Cherry-Evans.

“He’s been big for me with the vocals and communication, how he gets the boys around the park. It’s been really key for me.”

Rather than seeing Cherry-Evans as a threat to his own future, Savala saw the opportunity to learn from a halfback who had spent more than 15 years honing his craft at the highest level.

And the feeling was mutual.

“I watched Hugo playing in the halves last year and really admired the way that he went after it, the style of footy that he plays,” Cherry-Evans said.

“There’s a lot of skill in it, but there’s a really tough mentality.

“He attacks the game physically as well, so I’m really excited to play alongside him and I feel like we’re able to complement each other out there.

“Hugo’s got a very, very strong career ahead of him in the halves.”

It also gave Savala the chance to be tested in ways that extended beyond his role in the halves, helping him develop into a more complete player.

This pushed him into a number of different roles and into a tougher training environment during the pre-season.

“Robbo’s [Trent Robinson] really tested me the last two pre-seasons on being able to play a few different positions,” Savala told foxsports.com.au at the start of the year.

“I was always a halfback. Never really actually played another position, but (I’m) growing into my body now.

“That’s really helped with my development. Robbo tested me and put me up against the big boys in some wrestling sessions.

“And training as an outside back sometimes as well, so just being versatile with the group and hopefully getting there in the team.

“Whatever that role is I can’t wait to do it. I love playing for the jersey and whatever’s needed for the team, that’s what I’m going to do.”

THE RESPONSE

If there were any questions about whether Cherry-Evans could still perform at the highest level since arriving at Bondi, he has delivered where it matters most: on the field.

However, while his performances have gone a long way toward answering those doubts, his influence inside the Roosters’ changing rooms has extended well beyond what he produces with the football in his hands.

Not only has he brought control to the spine, added leadership and provided a wealth of experience but he quickly became someone his teammates have leaned on both on and off the field.

For Lindsay Collins, Cherry-Evans’ impact started before he had even trained with the team.

The pair had already spent plenty of time together through Queensland Origin campaigns, but Collins vividly remembers the club’s pre-season trip to the Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea, which helped forge the connection between the veteran halfback and his new teammates.

“Kokoda was probably a big one. Chez had just come to the club,” Collins told foxsports.com.au.

“I don’t even think he had trained yet with the team and then he came on Kokoda with us and just threw himself right in there with all the boys.

“There was not a day he didn’t have a smile on his face, so he was happy to be there and the boys got to know him.

“When you go through those tougher times like Kokoda, you know you’ve got a brother beside you and that sort of stuff galvanises you as a team.

“It had a real big impact on how we went into this year.”

That connection carried straight into the start of the season, with Cherry-Evans quickly becoming one of the key voices in the Roosters’ halves alongside Sam Walker.

While his experience on the field was always going to be valuable on the field, Billy Smith has been just impressed by what he has been able to bring to the playing group away from it

“He’s been so impressive this year for us. What you see is what you get on the field. He’s such a clear head,” Smith told foxsports.com.au.

“He’s got a clear way of presenting a game plan to his team and what I’ve probably been more impressed with is the man he is off the field.

“He’s always first to offer up at social events and to get to know players. He always has time for a chat and understands your life, your family.

“For a guy who’s played 300 NRL games, you definitely don’t need to do that sort of stuff but he does it cause he’s a good man. He’s a good human being.

“He knows what is best for a football team and I suppose that’s why we’re in the position we’re in. We’re about to play a preliminary final.

“We haven’t done that in a few years, so he’s been a bit of a godsend for us.”

The outside back also believes Cherry-Evans’ arrival has allowed captain and star fullback James Tedesco to add another dimension to his game.

“Teddy’s always been one ot lead by his actions as opposed to his words but having Chez there has allowed him to do that more so along with the other leaders in Lindsay and Rads,” he added.

“Chez has footy brains and his ability to deliver a game plan in a really simple manner is pretty impressive. We really value that.”

Going back to Cherry-Evans’ influence on the field, one of the clearest examples has been his impact on the spine, particularly Reece Robson.

Speaking to foxsports.com.au, the dummy-half revealed his control and communication have helped him become a better player and also allowed to steer the team around the park without any added responsibility.

“We’re always communicating and talking. Having Chez there just puts my mind at ease. You know he’s going to control the game so well,” Robson said.

“As a hooker, you’re steering the team around to get to positions on the field you want to get to

“But when you have someone like Chez as a half that can do his role as well as control the field through his kicking game and through his communication, it definitely allows me to sort of relax a little bit and work on other parts of my game I haven’t been able to do.”

Now with the club just one win away from the grand final, his teammates are doing everything they can to keep his farewell tour alive.

THE UNWRITTEN ENDING

For all the planning that has gone into Cherry-Evans’ final chapter, one thing still remains unknown.

When it will end.

It could be Friday night.

It could be the following week.

Cherry-Evans has come to understand that uncertainty all too well.

The halfback knows what it feels like to reach the biggest stage of all and walk away without the ending he wanted.

In 2013, the veteran played his second Grand Final for the Sea Eagles, only to watch the Roosters storm home from 18-8 down with 30 minutes remaining to claim a 26-18 victory.

He was awarded the Clive Churchill Medal despite being on the losing side.

It is an achievement that has remained bittersweet more than a decade later.

“I didn’t watch it for years after. It broke my heart every time I saw it, but I did finally sit down one off-season, a good five or six years later,” he said on Backstage with Cooper & Matty Johns.

“I don’t know if everyone from that side has talked about it. I’ve spoken to some of those boys about it and definitely stayed with them for a long time.

“The only way to describe it is bittersweet. It epitomises what this is.

“Having been a kid that loves footy and see so many people go up and receive a Clive Churchill, I know how special it is and never thought in my wildest dreams I’d be up there on the losing side.”

Perhaps that is why Cherry-Evans has never been one to dwell on what he has achieved.

Even with the end of his career approaching, he admits he may not fully appreciate it until he finally hangs up the boots.

“It’s one of those ones I won’t truly understand till I’m done,” he added.

“I think there are so many moments or games I’ve been a part of, which is amazing but I don’t think I really let myself enjoy it all until it’s done,

“It’s a shame because I might look back on my career and say, geez mate, you should’ve taken a breath and enjoyed it for what it is.

“I guess that’s what’s always made me tick. I’m grateful for the opportunities I got, but for any second I stop too long, I lose sight of where I’m going.”

Thirteen years on, Cherry-Evans - this time wearing a Roosters jersey - has another chance to reach the biggest stage.

But first comes Friday night.

Having already steered the Roosters past the Cronulla Sharks and into the preliminary final, he returns to the place where his rugby league journey began more than 30 years ago, when he played the game as a six-year-old for Redcliffe.

It is the kind of storyline that could easily consume this week.

However, he has no interest in letting it.

“I completely understand the sentiment, but they are just storylines,” Cherry-Evans said in the sheds on Saturday night.

“At the end of the day, we’re playing a prelim. At no stage have we made it about me or anyone who is leaving the club.

“Because while those things create great headlines, they distract us from what we need to do here, which is play footy.”

And with Cherry-Evans not knowing if Friday will be his final NRL match, it could be another chapter in his story - or the beginning of a new page.

Either way, the chance to write his ending is now in front of him.

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