Not a bad thing: Cherry-Evans embraces Brookie return
Scott Bailey |
Daly Cherry-Evans has vowed to embrace his return to Brookvale, confident he won’t be the subject of widespread booing in his first match against Manly.
Almost a year to the day since he announced he was leaving, Cherry-Evans’ return with the Sydney Roosters on Thursday night is set to dominate headlines all week.
The 37-year-old is not the first player to confront his old club, but few have done it in the circumstances the former Queensland captain will face this week.
His 352 games for Manly are the most any player has played at one club before packing up and leaving, after 15 seasons of service at the Sea Eagles.
“I’m fine with whatever comes my way,” Cherry-Evans said.
“But I tell you what, if the last six months is any reflection based on the amount of people I’ve seen in the community and Manly fans, it’s been nothing but positive.
“That’s not to say some people there might be a bit more negative but overall my relationship with the hill has been awesome the whole way through.
“It’s not to say people won’t boo, but I’m very, very comfortable with so many friendships and relationships I’ve got with the Manly fan base.”
Cherry-Evans has long insisted he does not want to go into the details of his Manly exit, and the public dispute of when he was or wasn’t offered a contract.
But the fact he was even happy to front the media on Sunday was indicative of his approach, given players often shy away from the spotlight ahead of clashes with their old clubs.
Stuck on 99 tries, he joked that he didn’t want to speak reaching 100 at Brookvale, given it could spark an Alex Johnston like crowd invasion.
Cherry-Evans did not want to discuss Manly’s poor start to the year, instead pointing to the defensive issues the Roosters needed to fix after leaking 100 points through their 1-2 start to 2026.
His announcement on March 24 last year that he was leaving Manly has sparked a 12-month spiral the Sea Eagles are still negotiating, going from title contenders to missing finals.
After an 0-2 start to the season at Brookvale, it would be a difficult look for the Sea Eagles and coach Anthony Seibold if Cherry-Evans was to carve them up at home.
But the Roosters No.6 insisted he only felt positives about his return, likening it to playing school friends in weekend club football and wanting bragging rights.
“This isn’t something to build up in a negative way. This is actually a really positive thing,” he said.
“I had a really strong belief that there was nothing to hide around this.
“I’m sure at some stages this week certain parts of the media might make it seem like a bad thing but I can promise you it’s not a bad thing.
“The opportunity to go back to a place where I’ve spent 15 years of my career is really exciting. It’s not a negative.”
AAP