It took just one poor performance for the critics to come after Daly Cherry-Evans and the Roosters, but the veteran playmaker clapped back in the best way possible as he justified his shock move to Sydney’s east with a rapid return to form on Friday night after he “let his teammates down” in round 1.

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The Roosters lacked discipline in their first round loss to the Warriors where Cherry-Evans struggled defensively, which led to some spicy takes during the week where people were ready to twist the knife.

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Calls for the 37-year-old to be dropped after one game seemed hasty at the time and were made to look foolish in Friday’s derby as the former Sea Eagles skipper scored the opener and set up the last try as the Roosters knocked off South Sydney.

“I honestly can’t tell you what was said about me last week,” the 354-gamer said.

“But obviously when we play badly and I play badly, it comes with the territory that people are going to have an opinion on that.

“And after this long, I’ve got a pretty good understanding of how I can deal with that, and that’s by staying off my phone, going to work with the team and working hard. We did that this week.

“I was just the product of a game with a lot of good players around me.

“I took my opportunities (against Souths). I didn’t wait for anything to happen. Along with the rest of the team, I feel like we went after the game.”

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Roosters ill-discipline problem on show | 02:31

The performance in New Zealand continued a history of the Roosters starting seasons slowly, but the way they responded is testament to the club’s culture.

“Round 1 wasn’t what we wanted, it’s not how we drew it up,” Cherry-Evans said.

“We worked for three months as a team and we put in a lot of work, so it is actually sometimes a bit of a trap to lose round 1 and then feel like the world’s ending.

“But with the leaders we have here and the coach, we put it into perspective really quickly. It was a big wake-up call as to where we were and where we needed to be.

“And I definitely had a role to play in that, so I’m proud of everyone to keep their heads nice and level and respond in the best way you can, which was through your performance.”

Cherry-Evans copped plenty of flak for his performance in round 1. Picture: Phil Walter/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images

It will take time for Cherry-Evans and Sam Walker to build their combination in the halves, but the Rabbitohs game showed it’s heading in the right direction heading into blockbuster battles with Penrith and then the veteran’s return to 4 Pines Park to take on Manly.

“I would say I take a lot of pride in my performance still to this day,” Cherry-Evans said, explaining how he dealt with the Warriors loss.

“So I was definitely disappointed on that plane ride home last week about how I performed and how I let my teammates down. I definitely didn’t get caught up in the hysteria of the house is burning down, which some people made it look like.

“I feel like that’s one of my strengths, putting things into perspective, so I was really clear on what needed to get fixed on my role, and then obviously as a halfback and a leader, how I could help the team.

“And across the board tonight there were so many standout players, so it was really great to see everyone respond the way we did.”