Dolphins say they’ll give DCE time before pitch
Daly Cherry-Evans has already attracted the interest of the Dolphins, but club bosses will wait before making an offer to bring the halfback home to Redcliffe.
The Dolphins have promised to give Daly Cherry-Evans the time he needs to decide his future, before they plan to make a splash for the veteran halfback.
Cherry-Evans’ future remains the talk of rugby league on Tuesday, after his shock announcement that he would leave Manly at season’s end.
The 36-year-old has made clear his preference at this stage is to play on, particularly if another club is to offer him a deal for 2026.
The Sydney Roosters are one club expected to be interested, while St George Illawarra are unlikely to make a play for the proud Queenslander.
South Sydney could also be a logical fit for Cherry-Evans given he could remain in Sydney, while the No.7 could be the missing piece to Canterbury’s puzzle.
But it is the Dolphins who are likely to have an emotional pull, given Cherry-Evans was born in the region and his father Troy played for the Dolphins in the BRL.
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Dolphins CEO Terry Reader is known to be interested in pursuing the 2013 Clive Churchill Medallist, but insisted on Tuesday he would not rush an offer.
“The facts here are that we are very happy with the players we have signed moving into 2026,” Reader told AAP.
“This is the NRL and part of your job is to explore interest from good players.
“But in this case, that is not an issue now as the player himself said he wants to take some time to gauge what he wants to do.
“At this point all we are focusing on is getting ready for the biggest club game of the year – the Battle of Brisbane against the Broncos on Friday.”
Manly CEO Tony Mestrov insisted on Tuesday the club had not given up hope on keeping their most-capped player, offering him $1.4 million over two seasons.
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Cherry-Evans has already said he will not accept the extension, with no previous offer having been on the table from the Sea Eagles.
Beyond them, there will be other options.
As one of the game’s best halves, Cherry-Evans would have the potential to turn both the Bulldogs and Roosters into premiership contenders.
Cody Walker is also off contract at Souths and the club are yet to debut Lewis Dodd, meaning he Cherry-Evans could replace any one of their halves.
Gold Coast could also loom as a dark horse given Cherry-Evans’ bond with Des Hasler, and the fact they have similar speed out wide to the Sea Eagles.
It would complete a remarkable turnaround, after Cherry-Evans’ backflip on the Titans in 2015.
And while the Dragons could do with his skill, club insiders said they were unlikely to pursue the halfback and could not see him relocating from Manly to Wollongong.
Cherry-Evans said on Monday night he wanted to take his time to make a call on whether he’d play on.
“I think the best decision there is for me to be able to sit back and take my time this year,” he said on 100% Footy.
“I’m not looking to engage in any chats any time soon. I am hoping by coming out and saying this people can see the full focus is on Manly.”
