Daly Cherry-Evans admitted to getting quite “emotional” on Sunday afternoon when he ran out at 4 Pines Park, not to jeers but to resounding cheers amid his ongoing contract circus.
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Cherry-Evans, who announced on Monday night that he would be leaving the Sea Eagles at the end of the year, also dropped a cryptic message on the “different” narratives which have been pushed about the 36-year-old and his motivations for pursuing an exit.
The veteran halfback told Fox League’s Jake Duke before the Parramatta game that he was keeping a “really open mind” when it came to potentially being booed by the Brookvale faithful.
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“It’s going to disappoint some Manly fans… so I completely understand if I get booed today because that’s how some people express their emotions,” he said.
But instead, there was nothing but support for Cherry-Evans, with a few fans holding up ‘Daly Stay’ signs as the hill broke into a ‘Manly, Manly’ cheer before the game even started.
Cherry-Evans told Duke after Sunday’s win that the reaction from the Sea Eagles supporters made him “so happy” that he had to compose himself before kick-off.
“Honestly it made me a little bit emotional, or a lot emotional, so I had to really pull it into line to play footy,” Cherry-Evans said.
“I’m so thankful, I’m so grateful for the support I’ve received throughout the week. At different stages people have tried to push a different narrative about me but ultimately when you tell them the truth and you’ve got the integrity, people see through that and the people on the hill saw through it today.”
Cherry-Evans further clarified his comments to Duke in separate interviews with both Channel Nine and ABC after Sunday’s game, accusing people of “trying to run a smear campaign against me”.
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“People can talk about whatever details they want, but the reality is, the decision is made,” he told ABC Radio’s John Gibbs.
“I tell you what hasn’t changed… my mindset going into this year and how much I want to win this year. If anything, it’s just amplified it.”
His next comments were particularly pointed.
“We’ll find out if I sign another deal. If it’s not for more money, that might be a telling sign in where this all lays,” Cherry-Evans said.
“There’s obviously been a really big narrative pushed in the media that it was all about a two-year deal, and the money wasn’t enough. Only time will tell if that is true or not.”
Cherry-Evans was later pressed on the “smear campaign” claim in his post-game press conference and in particular where exactly it was coming from, although the Sea Eagles halfback was cryptic in his response.
“I know who it’s coming from and it’s not appropriate to talk about it,” he said.
“You guys obviously know where it’s coming from as well. But I’m old enough and big enough to handle it.
“People are aware of it and I don’t mind the fact I’ve made people aware of it. But the thing that I can control is how I act and respond to it and there is no bigger response than making sure you do your job for the team.”
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Cherry-Evans did confirm that he believed some information was being fed to the media, but again when asked who was the culprit, the Manly skipper chose not to go into specifics.
“I’m not sure, or maybe I am and I’m not telling,” he said.
Cherry-Evans went on to explain that there were a few comments during the week that were “a little bit hurtful”, clarifying that conjecture over his future and where he could play next was fair game but that other details that “aren’t about that” were the problem.
“Obviously there was a fair bit spoken after the announcement was made on Monday night,” Cherry-Evans said.
“I feel like it could have ended pretty quickly early in the week but it obviously didn’t, which means conversations were continuing to happen outside of the ones happening between the club and I.
“That’s where I felt like it got a bit nasty and ugly.”
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Earlier in the week, Cherry-Evans appeared on 100% Footy to give his side of the story, confirming he would not accept a two-year, $1.4 million offer that Manly tabled live on NRL 360.
When asked why, Cherry-Evans said he had been “sleeping on this decision since December”, talking through it with his family before eventually they were “at peace” with calling time on his career at Manly.
It was revealed earlier in the week on NRL 360 that Cherry-Evans had requested an immediate release from the Sea Eagles to return home to Queensland in the 2024 pre-season. That request was rejected by Sea Eagles boss Tony Mestrov.
Mestrov also fronted the media earlier in the week, denying that the club made a “knee jerk” offer when they tabled an offer to Cherry-Evans on Monday night while also emphatically shutting down any suggestion the club had “low-balled” the 36-year-old.
It is unclear at this stage whether Cherry-Evans will play on, with the Dolphins and Roosters among the leading contenders for his signature. The Bulldogs, meanwhile, have pulled out of the race.
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