Dethroned Kangaroos halfback Daly Cherry-Evans said he was shattered to lose his starting spot, but admitted it went to a player “tracking to be one of the greats”.
Nathan Cleary, 24, is a generational talent but veteran playmaker Cherry-Evans went blow-for-blow with him as the duo fought it out this year to be Australia’s chief playmaker.
Cleary won the battle when he was named halfback for their World Cup quarterfinal clash against Lebanon on Saturday morning AEST.
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DCE still played off the bench in the 48-4 win over the Cedars but it was likely his last game for the Kangaroos, with Ben Hunt set to return for an expected blockbuster semi against New Zealand.
Cherry-Evans said getting dropped was a tough pill to swallow, but emphasised it was crucial to move on quickly.
“There was definitely a moment when (coach) Mal (Meninga) told me I wasn’t going to start, that I was disappointed,” Cherry-Evans said.
“But once you feel that initial disappointment you’ve just got to focus on what you can control and the last thing I needed to be doing was kicking stones. You’ve just gotta take it in and move on quickly.
“The whole tournament has probably been built up around him and me competing and obviously we have been trying to work towards the halfback spot but at no stage have we felt the need to get in each other’s way, we’ve only tried to help each other.
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“That’s a sign of Nath’s character too, he’s an awesome fella. I’m learning a heap off him and it can only help the team that I’m helping him as well.”
Cleary described the moment Meninga confirmed he’d be starting as “very surreal”, and revealed Cherry-Evans was the first to congratulate him.
“Daly was such a man about it as well, he came up to me straight away and said ‘anything you need I’ll help you out’… he’s a legend,” Cleary said.
“It’s hard though, I was glad he got to play tonight and it’s just a surreal feeling to play alongside these guys.
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“I just have to keep putting my best foot forward. I was pretty average tonight so I’ve just got to keep working hard.”
Cherry-Evans emphasised Meninga had been upfront with him throughout the tournament and backed Cleary to hold onto the jumper for years.
“I’m really happy for Nathan… it’s going to be his jersey for a long time,” he said.
“He’s definitely tracking to be one of the greats of the game.
“I’ve got a lot of admiration for what he’s done this early in his career…No doubt about it he’s going about it in a really nice fashion.
“If he keeps his head on and keeps working as hard as he’s working, he’s going to have a very special career.”
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DCE has played 18 games for Australia and 19 for Queensland and said if this is the end that he was proud of representative career.
“Definitely proud but I’ve never been one to put timelines on things, really just looking to get one more game at a time and hopefully do something special with Australia,” he said.
“I guess when it’s time to reflect when I retire I’ll be pretty proud of a fair few things but I am hoping that the career isn’t done just yet.
“I’ve been given the opportunity tonight to come off the bench which I’m really grateful for and I know how special this team is, and I’ll take a bench spot.
“I’ll take this opportunity with both hands and if something happens over the next few weeks I’ll be more than ready to step in as a starter.”
