Sydney Roosters coach Trent Robinson says any talk this week of his club’s impending recruitment of Daly Cherry-Evans is nothing but a “sideshow” as his team’s finals hopes go on the line against the star halfback and Manly on Saturday.
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Despite taking his team to Gosford for the week, Robinson was still hit with a Cherry-Evans question from local media in his pre-match press conference which brought a smile from the premiership winner.
Cherry-Evans shocked the rugby league world earlier in the year when he confirmed he’d knocked back a contract offer from Manly, the lone club he’d played for, and would find a new home in 2026.
That’s now expected to be at the Roosters, where a halves partnership with young gun Sam Walker is looming.
The two will go head-to-head on Saturday but Robinson wanted to park any chat about Cherry-Evans declaring “nothing has been signed”.
“There is no update,” he said.
“I know it’s definitely a talking point. But that is a bit of a sideshow to what really matters.
“Nothing has been signed or anything like that. Those conversations will take place when they need to.
“This week is not the week either. I don’t think we are going to agree to anything or sign anything this week. That will come in its due course.
“Both of our focuses are on the footy.”
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Both teams sit outside the eight, with the Sea Eagles two points clear of the Roosters in ninth spot.
A loss could end the finals chances of Robinson’s team, but he denied missing the playoffs would make the season a failure.
He said he was in the business of building premiership teams, and the development this year gave him confidence that’s what was happening at the Roosters.
“We openly say we want to play for premierships and what does that look like ? Are you developing a team to play for premierships?” he said.
“I can see that in the group we have got. I feel like we are developing that and we want that as soon as possible.
“It’s a continual process, it’s not to play a game in the finals and pat yourselves on the back.
“It’s to win premierships, there’s a difference.”
Robinson said Victor Radley was a real chance to make a surprise comeback from a shoulder injury which was expected to sideline him for up to a month.
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