Daly Cherry-Evans\u2019 return to 4 Pines Park as an opposition player was \u201cbizarre\u201d, and while he didn\u2019t feel any hostility, the same can\u2019t be said for his former coach who copped chants of \u201cSeibold out\u201d by the end of the night. <\/p>\n
Thursday\u2019s clash in Brookvale was always going to be dominated by the legendary playmaker\u2019s return to the club where he spent 15 seasons before his shock move east to the Roosters.<\/p>\n
A pre-game storm of biblical proportions suggested the footy gods weren\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n
But the jeers didn\u2019t affect him, as the veteran led the Roosters to a 33-16 victory over a team he played 352 games.<\/p>\n
The Manly faithful then turned on their team and the coach after a third-straight loss at home. <\/p>\n
\u201cI was here for a long time so I don\u2019t feel great about seeing them without a win yet,\u201d Cherry-Evans said after the match. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere are too many people here that I\u2019ve got too much friendship with to see sad or down or getting booed. I don\u2019t love that. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m a Rooster now, so for as much as I can sit there and show empathy, the reality is I\u2019m a Rooster now and that\u2019s where my focus is, and that\u2019s what my focus was this week. And that\u2019s actually what at times settled my nerves, was just going back to where I am and what I could do to help the team. <\/p>\n
\u201cSo I don\u2019t feel great about where they\u2019re at, but I really do have to stay in my lane and focus on the Roosters.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt was obviously a really bizarre and different experience. I don\u2019t think there was anything anyone could have said to prepare me for the feelings that I felt,\u201d Cherry-Evans said. <\/p>\n
\u201cBut 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was a conversation I had in the sheds tonight with Spencer about his experience of seeing guys that he\u2019s played with, so Spencer was a good one to lean on pre-game. <\/p>\n
\u201cI really enjoyed my teammates\u2019 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\u2019t make anyone do that, so it was really cool to see that come true.\u201d<\/p>\n
So how did the Manly legend feel when he ran on for the warm-ups and copped boos for the first time?<\/p>\n
\u201cThe 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\u2019s what you have to do,\u201d he said, with the jeers never feeling malicious. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere was honestly from my end nothing but love, and even after tonight I didn\u2019t feel any hostility. The crowd booed at times, which is fine, but again I really did feel like it was in jest.<\/p>\n
\u201cWalking 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. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe 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. <\/p>\n
\u201cThat was where I found calmness, was when I was just staying present and trying to get the job done for the team.\u201d<\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
He even signed a half Roosters, half Sea Eagles jersey after the game, with Manly skipper Tom Trbojevic responding to the crowd\u2019s decision to boo his former teammate. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou understand it,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s gone to a different club so they\u2019re entitled to do what they want. I was a little bit surprised, but if they want to boo him, then they can boo him.\u201d<\/p>\n