Manly are not giving up hope of Daly Cherry-Evans staying at the club beyond this season and insist they did not “lowball” the club legend with their offer.
Sea Eagles’ chief executive Tony Mestrov also denied the club’s stunning decision to announce a two-year contract extension on Fox Sports on Monday night was not about saving face, but a chance to prove to fans the club was being “proactive”.
Less than 12 hours after Cherry-Evans spoke about exiting the Sea Eagles at the end of the season, Mestrov remained hopeful the longest-serving Sea Eagle would remain on the northern beaches in 2026 and 2027.
Despite this masthead breaking the news that Cherry-Evans had no interest in any offer from Manly, Mestrov said: “Never say never. I don’t think Daly has made a decision himself. Let’s hope he reconsiders.
“We’ve put our best foot forward. We put [the two-year offer] in writing this morning, and we’ll wait for an answer.
“We’re all good with it. I think it’s a shock to the broader world he might not be at Manly, but it’s not to us. The discussions have been on-going, and he’s been upfront about it.
“If Daly does play in the NRL, we want him to play with Manly.”
In 2015 Cherry-Evans changed his mind to join the Gold Coast Titans on a four-year deal and agreed to re-sign with Manly on his current deal.
“I want to reiterate what Daly said on [Channel Nine’s 100% Footy on Monday night], that he did speak to us in December, he was going to either retire, go overseas he reiterated it would be his last year at Manly, and we respected that.
“Nobody said anything, it was all in the vault, and Daly obviously felt like he had to come out [on Monday night] with the press around it.
“There’s no animosity between Daly and the club. I spoke with him before I came to this press conference. There’s no problem with Daly and the club, no problem with Daly and me, and no problem with Daly and the coach (Anthony Seibold).
“Daly has told a few teammates it will be his last year this year, and it’s up to Daly to quantify that at whatever point he wants to – the ball is in his court.”
Mestrov said the club spoke to Cherry-Evans about continuing at the club as a coach, and last November about playing on another 12 months. He denied the club had proposed a deal that was disrespectful to the 36-year-old.
“We haven’t lowballed him because it’s just been a discussion,” Mestrov said. “The first formal offer was this morning. During the ongoing discussion, there was no lowballing at all – there’s no such thing as a lowball figure.
“We wouldn’t do that to disrespect Daly. It wouldn’t be on. We’re not about that. The club respects the past, and respecting what he has done at the club.”
Cherry-Evans will have plenty of clubs keen to have a conversation should he feel like playing on. There is almost a romanticism with the Gold Coast Titans, the club he famously backflipped on ten years ago, which is now coached by good friend Des Halser, and has a gun forward pack that appeals to all playmakers.
No more Sea Eagles for Daly Cherry-Evans after 2025.Credit: NRL Imagery
The move to announce a contract extension off of $1.4million on Fox Sports was not a “knee-jerk reaction”, according to Mestrov, and he said: “I felt like from a club point of view we needed to come out and clarify that we want Daly to stay here … and that we are being proactive. It wasn’t a knee-jerk reaction, it was already spoken about [earlier] that day before we had any knowledge of Daly going on 100% Footy.”
Manly host Parramatta at 4 Pines Park on Sunday afternoon, and Mestrov hoped fans respected Cherry-Evans, and would not boo him like Eels fans did when Dylan Brown played his first game after it emerged he would be leaving.
“I hope he gets a positive reception,” Mestrov said.
“He’s come out and said, ‘I won’t be at the club next year’, but he wants to win a premiership. I hope the fans celebrate his career here, and cheer him and back him. I know they will.”
The Sea Eagles’ premiership window will be partially shut once Cherry-Evans departs, but Mestrov said the club had faith in young playmakers Onitoni Large and Joey Walsh, wand hinted at the Tom Trbojevic five-eighth experiment becoming a reality when he said, “we’ve got other plans for other players to move position”.
