Former Maroons captain Daly Cherry-Evans stopped short of announcing his official retirement from the State of Origin arena, but the veteran halfback has thrown his full support behind incumbents Cameron Munster and Tom Dearden to do the job again this year.
Cherry-Evans played 26 games for his state and captained them in the 2025 series opener, but he was sensationally dropped after the loss at Suncorp Stadium which saw Dearden brought in to start and Munster promoted to lead the side.
The halves led Queensland to a famous series win, with Dearden claiming the Wally Lewis Medal as the best player.
Cherry-Evans, 37, is still theoretically available for this year’s series, but the Roosters playmaker concedes the incumbents deserve first crack even though they’ve both had their struggles at club level.
“I’m never going to be that guy that just comes out and retires, but I’m very comfortable with the side that they picked last year to win the series in the back end,” he said.
“Tom Dearden and Cam Munster, there’s absolutely no doubt in my mind that they’re Queensland’s best options going forward.
“If something ever happened moving down the track, you just keep your options open, and it’d be bloody hard to say no to a Queensland jersey again. But I’m quite clear that I’m not their best option right now and I’m OK with that.
“It’s really hard to talk about yourself when it comes to what you’ve done. I’m still playing, so I’ve got nothing but great memories of State of Origin. If I got another chance, that’d be great, but if not, that’s also OK.
“It’s just having that acceptance of the reality of where we’re at right now and where I’m at. That’s fine with me.
“I’m going to continue to work really hard on my game and try and get the Roosters to keep winning footy games and have a strong input in that. But where it is right now, I completely understand it and accept it, and that’s OK.
“If I’m not picked, that’s fine, I’ll be watching at home cheering for Queensland.”
Queensland coach Billy Slater made the tough call to drop Cherry-Evans – a man he played alongside for the Maroons – and was thrilled to see him enjoying his footy again after last year’s shock exit from Manly.
An Origin return seems highly unlikely, with Roosters halfback Sam Walker and Broncos five-eighth Ezra Mam in the mix for the Queensland side.
“He’s been great. It’s good to see him enjoying his footy. He said he needed a fresh start, and he’s got that,” Slater said at the MCG on Monday.
“He’s the oldest player in our game and he’s doing a wonderful job. I’ve spoken to him a couple of times at games, and it’s good to see him putting some games together.
“It was always going to take some time with Sammy Walker and ‘Chez’ being quite similar players, but they’re making it work. They’ve got a good roster at the Roosters, so the more they play together, the better they’re going to get. That’s dangerous for the rest of the competition.”
Originally published as ‘I’m not their best option’: Daly Cherry-Evans stops short of retiring from rep footy but backs incumbents to lead Maroons