Daly Cherry-Evans’ return to 4 Pines Park as an opposition player was “bizarre”, and while he didn’t feel any hostility, the same can’t be said for his former coach who copped chants of “Seibold out” by the end of the night.
Thursday’s clash in Brookvale was always going to be dominated by the legendary playmaker’s return to the club where he spent 15 seasons before his shock move east to the Roosters.
A pre-game storm of biblical proportions suggested the footy gods weren’t ready for his return, with Sea Eagles supporters booing him every time he touched the ball before he ended the night by signing a unique split jersey.
But the jeers didn’t affect him, as the veteran led the Roosters to a 33-16 victory over a team he played 352 games.
The Manly faithful then turned on their team and the coach after a third-straight loss at home.
“I was here for a long time so I don’t feel great about seeing them without a win yet,” Cherry-Evans said after the match.
“There are too many people here that I’ve got too much friendship with to see sad or down or getting booed. I don’t love that.
“I’m a Rooster now, so for as much as I can sit there and show empathy, the reality is I’m a Rooster now and that’s where my focus is, and that’s what my focus was this week. And that’s actually what at times settled my nerves, was just going back to where I am and what I could do to help the team.
“So I don’t feel great about where they’re at, but I really do have to stay in my lane and focus on the Roosters.”
The whole week was dominated by the Cherry-Evans narrative and how he would be received by a supporter group that cheered him for 15 years.
He made sure to turn right into the away sheds when he got to the ground, with the former Maroons captain revealing he spoke to Blues and Roosters enforcer Spencer Leniu about what he should expect given the prop had to come up against Penrith following his decision to leave.
“It was obviously a really bizarre and different experience. I don’t think there was anything anyone could have said to prepare me for the feelings that I felt,” Cherry-Evans said.
“But the fact that I did lean on people during the week just to ask them what it might feel like definitely helped when the nerves did rise to settle them back down. The other part to it as well, friends and family never waver, and my teammates showed so much love this week, which I really appreciated.
“There was a conversation I had in the sheds tonight with Spencer about his experience of seeing guys that he’s played with, so Spencer was a good one to lean on pre-game.
“I really enjoyed my teammates’ support. I could really feel it during the week. I could see that they cared and it was important to me, and it looked important to them. You can’t make anyone do that, so it was really cool to see that come true.”
So how did the Manly legend feel when he ran on for the warm-ups and copped boos for the first time?
“The best way I can explain it is I took it as I felt it, and it felt like they had to do it because that’s what you have to do,” he said, with the jeers never feeling malicious.
“There was honestly from my end nothing but love, and even after tonight I didn’t feel any hostility. The crowd booed at times, which is fine, but again I really did feel like it was in jest.
“Walking in tonight and going into the right-hand side of the dressing sheds, I did not know how I was going to feel until I did it.
“The nerves spiked at different times, but it was just really important to go back as professional athletes do and focus on what you can control out there tonight.
“That was where I found calmness, was when I was just staying present and trying to get the job done for the team.”
Despite the boos, Cherry-Evans gave his training top to a Manly fan as he ran back up the tunnel, something he does regularly to inspire kids.
He even signed a half Roosters, half Sea Eagles jersey after the game, with Manly skipper Tom Trbojevic responding to the crowd’s decision to boo his former teammate.
“You understand it,” he said.
“He’s gone to a different club so they’re entitled to do what they want. I was a little bit surprised, but if they want to boo him, then they can boo him.”
Originally published as ‘I don’t love that’: Daly Cherry-Evans laughs off boos sent his way but disappointed in vitriol shown to his former coach