Daly Cherry-Evans has spoken publicly for the first time since his blockbuster move to the Sydney Roosters, admitting that it was something he had “been thinking about for a little while” as the club revealed their 2026 jersey.
The champion halfback’s drawn-out contract circus finally came to an end earlier this month when the Bondi-based glamour club announced his signing.
The 36-year-old had spent his entire career at the Sea Eagles, but confirmed early in the 2025 campaign that he would be departing the club and moving on.
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After months of speculation, Cherry-Evans put pen to paper on a one-year contract with the Roosters, with a mutual option to extend into 2027 if desired.
James Tedesco and Daly Cherry-Evans Twitter
Speaking at the club’s launch of their new Adidas kit, Cherry-Evans admitted that he had been pondering the decision for quite some time.
“It’s a lot of emotions to be honest, I can’t single it down to just one,” he said.
“There’s a lot of excitement obviously making the big leap, it’s going to be a new feeling.
“Deep down, it’s maybe something that I’ve been thinking about for a little while, so to be here it’s very surreal – but pulling on the jersey it is about as real as it gets.”
The rumours linking him to the Tricolours ran rampant throughout the entire season and it was perhaps the worst-kept secret in modern rugby league history.
However, according to the man himself, the decision to join the Chooks only happened in recent weeks as he prepares to write a new chapter of his storied career.
Daly Cherry-Evans speaks at a Roosters jersey launch Nine
“I’m very uncomfortable being in another club colours, but deep down really satisfied with the decision,” Cherry-Evans said.
“I only signed, despite what you guys think, two weeks ago. I don’t think you’ve decided until you’ve actually put pen to paper, but I was just like anyone else off-contract and I spoke to clubs this time last year when I was officially able to talk to people.
“I treated that process just like everyone else and it was just that everyone else wanted me to tell them what I was doing before I was ready to do it.”
Since his departure, Manly have undergone some key changes – most notably Tony Mestrov stepping down as chief executive and Jason King taking his place.
Quizzed if whether King’s appointment could have swayed him if it happened earlier, Cherry-Evans gave a diplomatic response.
“Geez, that’s a hypothetical and I’m not good at hypotheticals,” he explained.
“I’ll tell you one thing, people are probably underestimating my role in this. It’s easy for everyone to want to blame people at Manly – but the reality is I didn’t get traded, I didn’t get swapped. I was a free agent and I made the decision to go somewhere else.
“I take responsibility for where I ended up, I’m really proud of the jersey that I’m in and I just don’t think it’s fair to put other people under the bus. How it was all managed and why it ended the way it did, they are stories for another day.
Tony Mestrov Nikki Short
“I think it would be silly for me to be standing here in a Roosters jersey talking about what could have been at Manly. I don’t look at it as a sad situation, it was great to be part of that club’s history for so long, but now I’ve got the opportunity to do it here.”Â
Cherry-Evans also conceded there were times he weighed up retirement, as well as joining a club other than the Roosters to continue his NRL journey.
“At different stages it was both,” Cherry-Evans said.
“I reckon the biggest thing was making sure I was gonna make the right decision by myself and then in turn, another club.
“I’m no spring chicken, so I wanted to make sure if I was to go around again and put myself really out of my comfort zone, I wanted to really make sure I could hold my end of the bargain up. The longer the season went, the clearer I got on how I was feeling mentally and physically and that’s given me a lot of great confidence to make the leap.
“Walking in now, I don’t have regrets or second thoughts – I actually feel really clear on where I’m at and what I can offer.”
Cherry-Evans holds the record for the most first grade games with Manly, but will get an early chance to be on the other side of things at Brookvale Oval.
Daly Cherry-Evans Getty
The two teams are slated to play in round four and while Cherry-Evans would have liked a different time slot, he is looking forward to seeing his old teammates on the field.
“If you’re playing against your mates, you just want to beat them and it’s just gonna be as simple as that,” he said.
“Selfishly, I would have loved it to have been four o’clock on a Sunday afternoon, because I think that’s a great experience – but Thursday night, round four will be great.
“The way that the relationships were when I left the club, I get you guys might make it sound differently, but it’s actually gonna be a really great experience to go back there.
“It’s maybe not as daunting or as ugly as you guys want it to be.”
As for what number he will wear on the back of his red, white and blue jersey next year, Cherry-Evans said discussions with Sam Walker and Trent Robinson have begun.
Sam Walker Getty
“We’ve had a couple of conversations with Trent and Sam,” he said.
“I’m not too fussed, I feel like we’re really lucky in the players that Sam and I are that one of us could wear six and one of us could wear seven and it wouldn’t affect a whole lot.
“I think before we get to the seven-six part, we probably need to figure out how we want to play. It’s really important that we complement each other and complement the team.
“I don’t think it’s gonna change – visually it might be a big deal if I’m not wearing seven, but I’d be very fine with wearing No.6 if that’s what we need to do.”