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<\/p>\nCherry-Evans\u2019 crime? Having the audacity to potentially finish his career somewhere other than the Northern Beaches. Paul Vautin somehow managed to finish up at the Roosters without becoming less of a Manly man, but another standard is seemingly applied to Cherry-Evans.<\/p>\n
Perhaps it\u2019s because fans could relate to Fatty, Cliffy, Bozo, Beaver, Wombat or Toovs. But, after 15 years in first grade, did we ever truly get to know Daly Cherry-Evans?<\/p>\n
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Cherry-Evans trains at a sodden Brookvale Oval.Credit: Janie Barrett<\/p>\n
\u201cBy nature I am very, very private,\u201d Cherry-Evans said. \u201cI think over the later part of my career I\u2019ve tried to give the media and journalists a bit more of an insight, only because I believe that you guys are the link between us and the fans.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo I think for the fans\u2019 sake I\u2019ve tried to show them a bit more.<\/p>\n
\u201cHave I really showed my true colours through the media? Probably not.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I guess there\u2019s also a part of me that really enjoys when I\u2019m at the pub and someone comes up to me and we have a chat and then they go \u2018Geez, you\u2019re not what I thought you were.\u2019 I sort of like that a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n
His move to the Tricolours has been reported as a done deal, but that\u2019s not the case, at least in a contractual sense. Sources speaking on the condition of anonymity have told this masthead that no deal has been agreed, not even of the handshake variety. Yet the transfer is still expected to happen, raising the prospect that he could join Cameron Smith as the only players to break the magical 400-game barrier.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the moment it does seem like it\u2019s so far away, but I think deep down I had the same feeling at 300,\u201d Cherry-Evans said. \u201cI thought, \u2018That looks so far away\u2019, but before you know it, you keep persisting, and you\u2019re here again.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll never say never on those things, but the reality is I actually just don\u2019t know how long I\u2019m going to keep playing for.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt would be crazy for me to think any more than just year to year. If I was to get there, a lot of things would have to go right, but it\u2019s pretty ambitious, isn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n
\u201cI think for right now I\u2019m just going to enjoy 350 and see where that takes me.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Daly Cherry-Evans at Sea Eagles training on Wednesday ahead of his 350th match.Credit: Janie Barrett<\/p>\n
This isn\u2019t the biggest contractual drama Cherry-Evans has endured. A decade ago, he committed to the Titans but, as permitted under the rules at the time, backflipped when Manly came back with a better offer. It was dubbed a \u201clifetime deal\u201d, one that couldn\u2019t have predicted recent events.<\/p>\n
Does he have regrets about the nature of his departure?<\/p>\n
\u201cI think I\u2019ve been through bigger decisions than this one,\u201d he said to the Gold Coast situation. \u201cI thought the one earlier in my career was a bigger one and I\u2019ve got no regrets for that one. So I reckon I\u2019ll have no regrets for this one.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Sea Eagles may not like his decision, but it was made early enough for the club to plan for the future. Cherry-Evans\u2019 departure, along with Lachlan Galvin\u2019s mid-season exit from Wests Tigers, have been the biggest rugby league stories of the year. It\u2019s possible the transfers will end well for all four clubs involved. The Bulldogs-Galvin combination will be better after a pre-season together, while the Tigers have won four of their past six games since the youngster left the club.<\/p>\n
Manly have the arrival of Canberra\u2019s Jamal Fogarty and the emergence of young guns Joe Walsh and Onitoni Large to look forward to, while the Roosters hope Cherry-Evans can have a Cooper Cronk-like impact<\/a>. The Tricolours signed Cronk at the end of 2017 for the final two years of his career, which both ended in Roosters premierships.<\/p>\n With only three games to go in the maroon jersey, the focus will turn to Cherry-Evans\u2019 legacy on the northern beaches.<\/p>\n \u201cThe piece on how you get remembered, I think at the end of the day all you want to be known for is a reliable teammate that could do his job and be counted on,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Loading<\/p>\n \u201cI think that\u2019s the main thing you want to walk away with when it comes to how you want to be remembered.<\/p>\n \u201cThe thing I\u2019m going to take away is the connections, the friendships, the relationships \u2026 To be able to go away, I\u2019ll retire and be old and hopefully one day I can bring my grandkids here and sort of point to something on the wall and say I was a part of this one day.\u201d<\/p>\n