NRL 360NRL 360 - "Has DCE blindsided Manly": The fallout from rugby league biggest story and what's next for both parties? - 25/03/25
Catch up on all the Rugby League news from NRL 360, Tuesday the 25th of March, with hosts Braith Anasta and Gorden Tallis.
The NRL 360 panel are joined by Paul Crawley and Dean 'Bulldog' Ritchie to dissect the biggest story in rugby league right now of Daly Cherry-Evans announcing he will leave Manly at the seasons end.
For more of the show tune in on Fox League CH 502 or stream full episodes on KAYO.
Go on turner off three sixty rugby league from every angle, the DC drama continues to unravel right before our eyes. Tonight will unpack what's quickly become one of the most intriguing rugby league stories in recent memory. First, let's take a look at how the last twenty four hours unfolding A bit of talk about DCE and his future here on the Northern Beaches Daily. Cherry Evans, at thirty six years of age, basically achieved everything in the game. He wants one more Premiership. Ring breaking news, DC tells Manly he's leaving the club at season's end. So this is this is big.
As my career comes to an end, I want it to take my time, whether that's retiring or playing on and by cutting ties with Manley this year and I felt like that was the best chance for me to have freedom throughout the year to take one time to choose.
Danty did speak to us in December he was going to either retire go over seas.
You know, mainly said that they weren't going to offer anything unless another club offered anything. Those offers didn't come through from the other clubs, so mainly didn't need to offer anything, which was fine.
It was live on air as we speak right now breaking news. Mester Off and Penn have just contacted Fox League and so they're going to counter this with a two year offer. Said, this is far from over by the sounds.
We just want to reiterate the point that the manly ring of siegals this morning point to rot and Dale Cherry Evans for the twenty six twenty seven season.
Was there an offer on the table of late not until ANRL through sixty tonight.
We made an offer yesterday. It wasn't a knee jerk reaction. We've been speaking about that.
For a while. Would you accept that respectfully?
No, because, as I said, I've been sleeping on this decision since December.
Yeah, no animosity there. There's no animosity between Day and the clubs and Dramni Colver main to me, it's not only just says agitating. He suggests that something else going something suggests something else is going on here.
There is no problem with Dalian the club. There's no problem with Dailian me personally. There's no problem with Daily in the coach and this shouldn't have exploded into the story it has. I reckon they could have put this away some time ago.
He reiterated that would be his last year at Manly. We respected that. I mean, Dailey said last night I was in the press conference. He said, there's no animosity with the Manly club. There's no issues with the Manly club. There no real stand but this would suggest there is animoster.
I don't think he's still certain around what he wants to do.
He doesn't know if he wants to retire.
He's got a coaching offer from us to coach beyond that, but it's his decision.
Cherry bombshell the biggest story in rugby league in a very very long time. Let's bring the journos in, poor Crawley and Dean Bulldog Richie. I'll start with this. Were Manly blindsided by DC's bombshell announcement? Gordy Well, I think that they were to have your star player, the guy that's been there for ten years, their last premiership halfback, go on a show and announce that this is going to be his last year and he's going to leave the club. Hen's why they rang into the show.
How could you be blindsided from your star player, your longest serving club player, your captain who has been debating whether to play on or not since last year, and you get blindsided on a day when he's going on a TV show. I just don't see how they've stuffed this up, Gordon. They had a hand full time he's in their backyard. He's one of the top three, if not four, top playmakers in the game. Mestrov says it wasn't a knee jerk reaction. He hasn't been low balled. Yes, he has that offer yesterday. That's a low ball offer for a top three or four half back in the game to be offered seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars a year.
I don't care how old he is. He should have been offered it at least a million dollars.
So do we believe that they were going to wait until round six because we've heard Look, i'll.
Tell you what happened. In December.
They open up very preliminary talks, which was going to be a one year contract with a two year club option second year. Cherry then said to them, look, I'm not sure whether I want to play anymore and I might move overseas. Manley then said we'll respect that and we'll back off, which they did. In the meantime, there was some very informal dialogue going on, and in that dialogue, Gordon your spot on, there was an unwritten agreement that they would see how Cherry was after round six, how was his body holding up mentally, and how was his form bingo after round three Manly's waiting for round six. Cherry comes out last night on national television and says I am quitting the club. It didn't tell Tony Mestroff and he didn't tell Scott Penn.
So that's how they were blinded. So why that's the next question, isn't it. Why?
Like again, you've got to look at the management here, dog, because it's there job to be on board with their best player. If you're dealing with a bloke with a profile like Jerry Evans and his quality of play, what he brings to your club, you've got to know and you've got to find a way to get it.
But what I find interesting and a little bit strange and putting myself in DC issues and even my management cap on for a little bit. He was free to negotiate November one, right of last year. By December he told them that he was moving on right so in that month he gave them a month time to negotiate a deal, which apparently was only a one year deal, but he didn't give them much more than a month to come up with a two year, three year whatever it may be, which suggests to me something he's going on there. If he wanted to stay there, he could have taken even a few more months now to come up with an agreement and a deal that would have suited both him and the club. So it tells me that if he was so quick to make a call to move on from Marly, he wanted to go. He wanted to go last year, and there's got to be a reason for it. Reason it is.
I have no doubt that he's got another club and they're paying him top dollar money.
Good luck to him. That's why he's going. Mainly, no what they're not stupid.
They fear that he is walking out the door because he's got big money elsewhere, and I reckon that'd be announce for the next three to four To.
Defend DC though in saying what I did, I spoke to a lot of officials today at a few clubs, some heavy hitters who have spoken to who had spoken to hierarchy at Manly throughout last year, and apparently they were shopping him around and suggesting they were not going to resign him during last season, which therefore has probably got the ears pricked on a number of teams that have circled over the last few months, and there could be some stuff going on behind closed doors. But the suggestion to me is DC knowing I don't know him that well, but I know a lot of people that are really close to him. He's big on principles, is big on values, and maybe none of this just sat well with him the queen, and he made the call that he wasn't going to stick.
Around made the queen he said last night where he said there hadn't been an offer and the club had said to him, if you do get an offer, bring it back to us, Like, I don't know what you think, but I would see that as disrespectful taking someone for granted, because I should. But regardless of that, he is talking about playing they haven't done their job, Bulldog.
They had an opportunity.
Why would he bring that quote out if it wasn't something that had played on his mind, played on his mind.
It's cost him one of the best players in the cold.
He said he's not sure whether he wants to play, on whether he's going to retire.
I don't believe a where that you're telling me that he's considering retirement or going to super League. That's bullshit. That that is, that's garbage. He's playing on saying, well, this is the thing. It's either a play. Can you do you honestly think he's going to retire a playing super League next year?
Not the way he's playing. Is that with the Dylan Brown deal that's just gone. That is never going to happen.
But you're talking out of it. If he was thinking that the way he's been no.
Because sometimes you give him the respect.
So when he's played ten years and he's played the way he is and he said that's talking round six, you give him the respect, hey mate, And if there's a deal that comes along the way, bring it to us.
I think Daily wanted to manage the narrative here and he's got in early.
But that's irritated manly take it as read. They're not happy.
Tony Mestrop's a very good CEO. I was there at the conference today and he's saying what he has to say. Because he's the front man of that. Clubs take it as red.
They are filthy, so there must be animosity if he doesn't and he doesn't tell him, there's no joint press conference.
There's also been amosity on both sides. Gordy, this is Manly's window to win a premiership. Cherry's last thing he wants to do is win another premiership.
So he's got two years in front of him. It's his home club. He can retire a one club legend. It's all there at Manley. He says, I don't want to play that. Well, that's what's my point. There's got to be something wrong there. Because he's got a strong team where where he can win a premiership. He wants to finish on a high note, which is why he'll probably consider one of the premier clubs. That these are seven at the moment that can take them to premiership contention. Now I want to come to you with this cruel. He mentioned that the club said sorry that they'd only offer him a deal if a rival club did. What do you think of that? That's what I spoke about a minute ago.
I don't know how you could not see that as disrespectful for everything that he's put in for that club over what fourteen fifteen years to have that put to you if you get another Well, if that was the case, and what he's done, I actually think what he's done has gone away and it's shown great self belief and conviction in his own ability that he's gone out and said okay, if that was the case and they weren't going to offer him a contract until another club, come, well he's gone. You know what, I'll go and find something and instead of going back to Manly, I'll go forward and I'll show you what I can do. And if that's what he's done, it's a great show of dignity. When the media started to push and prod a bit about Cherry's future, Manley then said, you know what, I think he's going to play. On on Monday at midday, Peter Gentle, the Manly recruitment guru, picked up the phone.
And rang dce's agent Joe Weeby. That's when the conversation started. Nine hours later, Cherry Evans says, I'm not playing for Manley. It was deemed to be a knee jerk reaction for Manley, but it wasn't.
Manly. On the phone that day, So the offer was table at midday yesterday, because that's what Mainly is saying. They put an offer to his agent at twelve o'clock I think it was around yesterday, and then later that evening he's on another TV station saying that he didn't receive that or he was unaware of it until he had watched this show and seeing that Mainly had put a two year deal to him.
Well, Manly is telling me that they, as I said, sent Peter Jennle to meet Joe Weeby. So I have no reason to why they would tell us a fib but it was extra ordinary the fact.
That Daily tell the truth because I don't know who's telling the truth break I wish I could tell you.
But it wasn't a knee jerk reactionally because many were onto it at midday that day. It shows you the separation within again, despite the fact that they say there's no animosity, there has to be and the concern now will be what will it do to the rest of their season?
Do you reckon they will blow the season up?
Well, I don't know what it's got the possibility if they can't or it could galvanize the players.
But it's going to.
Create if he can sell it to them someone, whether it be the player or the management.
If he can sell it to the players that I'm going to retire. I've had a great time here and I think I've got twenty more games in me. I reckon they will galvanize. You'll see it in the players. If he's going to another club.
I've seen no reason why it wouldn't galvanize them. He's been a club legend for a long time. He seems to have a great relationship with the players that he plays with. They've had a really fantastic start to the year. Taker. Yeah, no one likes hemates leaving, and I suppose Tom will tell them right, but they all want to win, and now he's leaving. This is their last chance because they've got no one that We'll get to this maybe later, but they've got no one really to replace him. They're gonna they're gonna shuffle the decks a little bit. I said, we'll get to that, but this is you talk about Premiership windows, it is now, it is this year, and it is with him leaving.
What we do know about Manly at the moment, too, is that there's two players that carry that team. You've got all these different parts and everyone does their job really well. But if Tom travoivh' is not on the field, they probably lose forty percent chance of winning. And if DC is there, they don't win. And now they've lost one of those parts to the puzzle and moving forward with Tom's injury concerns over time they've breath. You've got it right, mate, the premiership window will slam shut?
What about the what about the CEO saying that there's not a personality clash with he and the coach and he and the CEO?
How can they're not has to be how can they not be Gordon?
But because you've got the star player and the boss that aren't on the same page, there has to be drama. There has to be something going on.
Which leads me to the next thing. This is why there's so many situations and events here that lead me to there has to be an issue there. If mainly knew that he was leaving, and he had notified that then that that he was leaving, why didn't they hold a press conference as a team, as a united front and say you know what, this has been a great relationship that we love him as a club legend, he's in his mainly polo. They sit there together and say, but you know what, he's decided for the best interest of him, in his family and in the new challenging chapter in his life, he's going to go somewhere else, and we're okay with that. Then we can move on and look ahead instead of VC going by himself without management knowing on a TV station any cities doing an interview where where they like, how do we explain that and how can you tell me there's no issues?
But broth If Cherry told the club he wasn't sure what he was doing and it was more likely he was going to stop playing rugby league. Many then said, until your categoric, we'll give you some space. That's why they didn't hold a press cross because the decision wasn't definitively not.
On the same page. Then if you're if he's saying one thing and they're telling you another that they're clearly not one the which which is the job of the club. Like it.
It doesn't matter if it was Nathan Cleary and this happened, or we spoke in recent weeks about the situation at Paramatta with Dylan Brown and these get out clauses.
And we roasted the club over that.
Well what mainly have done here, they've let their team down because if you had that bloke on board, you should have been odds on to keep it okay.
Then well, if he's going to leave Manly and we spoke about their premiership window, who does he.
Go to take your pick?
There's probably eight or nine clubs that could do with him, Like in the Faired income stakes. You've got Cleary that's the best half back in the league. You've got Jerome Hugh's number two. In my eyes, DC is three, but some might say Mitchell Moses. Then probably what Reynolds or Leuai would come after that. So all the teams below could do with Daily Cherry Evans.
The three clubs that have been mootured all day and speculated have been the Roosters, the Titans and the Dolphins.
And the Bulldogs, and the Bulldogs will be the smoky.
The Titans is a funny one because DC dramatically backfipped up there in fifteen. I don't think they'd have him back, but he's very close to them and form.
But you think with Daisy there. They had a lot of success together. You think they still have a pretty good relationship. They do, But yeah, I'm not talking for the club.
But so all's going to happen there all of a sudden, Now we are saying that he's going to be playing next year after the confusion of last.
Manly still hope breath that he will re sign. Look it's probably PINEK and.
Fifty I record that's'll get out elsewhere. It's not.
It's not happening break but they must still have some day saying that just offer today but while they go through the charade has been back now National TV here is a re backflip once? Who say you won't backflip again? Real, I'm just saying if they've lodged the offer, it clearly.
Means that there is some internal.
Or is that just to pacify the fans. That's just a public show of you know, we're still want in here, pacify the fans. But they had seven hundred, had four months to get it right, mate, and they didn't do it.
Do you think seven hundred a year is low balling a player who is still exceptional, but he's going on thirty seven years old.
I reckon at least two hundred and fifty thousand dollars a year.
No, I think if he's a top three half, finely I would have signed him for two years. And not only would you have had one of the best hards in the game who is a club man and a greater of the club, but you would have had two years to prepare for your next move. But don't they don't have time to even prepare for life after DC.
Didn't Ben Hunt go for six hundred and he was on a million, that's four hundred less.
They could have went for Locke Galvin. They could have. They could have said, all right, we'll have DCE and and we'll zero in on a player of the caliber of lock Yavin.
Put it to you this way, would you rather, right this minute for next season, signed Dylan Brown for one point three one point four or DCE for one point three one point four for the next two year?
Clearly, but it won't be. So that's what he's market. But like thirteen years younger Orange, forget that, forget the birth certificate. He's still You can't he is still in the half backs.
And you cannot forget the burst off because for two years you can because Father Time is undefeated.
Okay, well, father Time's undefeaed.
But Gordy, I say this right, if he leaves Manly at the end of the year, unless they get a halfback, is good. They will not be winning a comp next year. There are a chance if he's not saying that's.
What I'm saying that I'm saying another sixty games out of a thirty six year old body in one of the toughest competitions in the world.
That's all I'm saying.
If you've got you got your premission, which which leads us to the next the next question about where he goes and you think about what where the roosters are at the moment, and they have Sam Walker, James Dedesko, Robson comes next year, They've got a powerful young pack.
Because we'll get to where he may land after this. But DC, you said, you know, his reputation took a hit after the Titans back flip, as you mentioned before, we still haven't got is there a.
Chance, well, that's what happened on the Gold Coast.
There is there a chance that the fans turn on him after after this. Well, it'll be interesting to be at Brookvale. This Sunday, Manly plays Paramatta. Will the fans boo him Eels fans booed Dylan Edwards, Dylan Brown Rather, of course they will. But do you brew a club legend? I think is very different to the d c d He's one of a premiership. He's in great form. He's played very good consistently, i'd say their best player for nearly ten years, you know, and and he's he's been offered a one year wants or two, didn't get what he wanted from the club, decided to move on. Very different.
I think he goes out and has a blinder, they'll be they'll be billing the chairman's box mate, That's what It'll be, one or the other.
And that's the unfortunate thing. Paint hats when he was negotiating.
He's been the best player for the last seven years, so it doesn't but that's what fans do. Of course, if DC he thinks he's going to run out there and not ruffle any I'll.
Just throw a link out here goes and there's no concrete left and right. Joe last week, Joe Weebe is Daily's manager. Joe Weebe manages James Tedesco the Rooster's fullback, and Joe Weebe manages Rhes robson who will be.
We're going to we're going to talk about it. We're going to talk about this a bit later. But you're both just leading me down the garden path to the Roosters, so let's talk. Come through the door then. I don't enough want to go through your door. But anyway, the Roosters there there, their name keeps popping up, and we know what Nick polaitis is like. We know he's missed a few lately and their recruitment hasn't been ideal. We know they're short on halves, especially at present. We know that they did a similar pulled off a similar deal with a similar style of player in Cooper Kronk, which won them a premiership. Could he end up at the Roosters? Really end up at the Roosters?
I think, if you're putting me on the spot, Brak, I reckon the Roosters are favorites. I think if I didn't, just because I would have said about Joe Weebe about the Roosters, they need a half back.
Robbo loves Dce. Nick's very close. Have you heard anything or is it just your opinion. It's summation. So I'm not saying he would definitely be.
There, but I I think he's your opinion well, adding up to and two, doctor, I reckon the Dogs.
Gus loves him what he makes. He makes them into a premiership the Dogs.
There is a lot of romance about him going back because that's his family name.
It's it's anonymous. I don't think he wants to go back to Redcliffe for his family. That's wrong here.
I think I think from the Northern Beaches and the three girls go to Northern Beaches schools. So if he does go to the Roosters, he can stay home and the kids stayed with school.
A premiership and if he goes to in my opinion, goes to the Roosters or the Dogs. He slides into two teams that he takes too into premiership contention. He goes to the Dolphins, not so much the Dolphins. He may get a couple of hundred thousand, which one would you go to it there's the Roosters and the Dogs. If I'm him right now, the Dogs. I look at the Dogs team and I've been saying it for a while they are half back. And this is no disrespect to Sexon because he's doing a magnificent job. But they're a top eight easy team on the edge of the four right now. DC instantly takes them to a top four team and takes them into premiership contention, but the rooster is complete side the Roosters would be a magnificent buy two, I believe, and he would take them into premiership contention as well. But I think maybe just the Dogs have the edge with the side they've got, the way they're playing, the confidence they've built the players. He will make Burton a much better player because DC controls the team. He is vocal, which Burton isn't. Burton takes a lot of pressure off him. He can just run, kick and do his job. And we all know Kright and the rest of them, so you know, I'd lean towards them, But I actually think he'd be great for both teams.
Would he work with Sam Walker? Because Sam Walker's what one hundred games into his career, twenty two years of age, He's an out and out seven. Jerry Evans is an out and out seven. Would it work together? You don't think it would. I'm not saying it wouldn't because you've seen it origin, you know, like you just go back to and and Jonathan Thurston is a great exam I think.
Is semi such an instinctive player. Semi plays off the cuff and he's got his little kick and he's passing. You don't know whether he's going to play short or along. He's very much played what you see in front of him. And if there's anything he probably needs to work on to get him to that premiership level is his organizational skills and getting roosters to certain points on the field, which is a DC specialist. I think they can bine great. I think he would take pressure of Walker. But what I would do crawls if I'm a hierarchy to the roosters and this this opportunity comes up with DC, I'm going to Walker and I'm going how do you feel if we make a play at him?
And that's the thing that you wouldn't and you wouldn't think it would upset Sam Walker, But given his age and his potential, that's the last thing you don't need that.
And I do also wonder what.
It does for their their academy program that they've been so outspoken about that they see this is the future of the.
Club and all those two years two years it is two years. It's a lot of them next year in the year after. But like the Bulldogs and the Roosters that the halves coming through are exceptional. I think it's Rodwell and Woods at the Bulldogs. They're two to three years away, so it's actually perfect more. I think for the Bulldogs it is a perfect.
To get to give a young half back one more year is not going to hurt him, Like to give him a bit more experience, to play a few more games away from the spotlight is only going to help him.
I think you keep Sam Walker in touch with the negotiations, but I don't think you necessarily go and ask him.
Whether you would approve of a player coming to the club. I don't think he deserves that pressure.
You mean, well, you said before you would go to Sam Walker and ask him. If Sam you feel he says I don't want him here, well then you've got to you've got a problem.
You wouldn't say that. He's not going to say that. But I actually think we're not going to say. Well, I think I find I want I want DC because they're a better chance to win because then they believe that they help with the decision. But you don't like the players making those decisions. Let's not making the decision, but you don't need to let him make the player unfront with him.
Yeah, he's been up front, you know, treating him with a bit of response, I said Cruls Initially, I said, you keep him involved in the negotiations and keep him updated, but you don't ask.
Him whether he gets some sort of approval to get him there. That's a good summation, thank you. All right? Despite mestrof and DC, after fifteen years at the club and a premiership winner and most cap player, does he leave on bad terms? He lives on bad terms I think in terms of management, But as a footballer and his teammates and the Manly fans, I think, hold on.
Why if he doesn't know what's going on and Manly were blindsided, doesn't that come down to his manager, not the actual management from Manly.
Are you saying it's Joe Webey's fault.
No, But what I'm saying is, can't DC, if you've been there that long, if you've got that much experience, can't you pick up the phone?
Why has it gone.
So so that's that's what we've been talking about to be between him and the management of the club for this to work out. I don't think you can possibly take away what Jerry Evans has done for that club. I don't think the fans will.
Could it be the coach? Have you guys heard anything? Oh, there's speculation swirling around last twenty. Speculation is he's fallen out with either Sea Bold or Mestroff. We asked Mestrof straight to his face today he said that is bullshit. He has not fallen out with Sea Bolt and he has not fallen out with Tony Mestrov. So manly's vehemently. The speculation is did you ask DC? No?
Someone someone is not telling the whole story because the fact of the matter is the bloke that's played the most games for that club, the current captain, is leaving and he made his decision, as Brave said on National TV, and didn't do it ader to press a sitting beside Mestrov and the coach.
There's got to be a drama, well said, all right now, DC, when he moves on, I'm hearing the going to shuffle the deck. So Brooks is going to move the half back and turbout of five eighth. Is that the mail? Is that what they're saying. There's talk around the Northern Beaches that Turbo could shift into six.
I personally would think it would be insanity. I don't think that's Tom's position. Tom's a fullback. Gordon, you're laughing at me because you would disagree.
I no, no, I think Tom, with his injuries, I think he's a center right. But I've never seen Tom kick the ball. I'm not saying Tom is one of the greatest players. When he's on the field. He's one of the greatest players that our game's ever seen. But I don't think Tomas.
But Luckier did it do it? And so Greg realized that played five eight in the Grand Final?
Correct the other the other The other part to the problem though, is is Luke Brooks the man that again is going to keep that Manly Premiership window.
Open because I lost their number seven. Brooks.
He has done a good job since he's gone across from the Tigers playing that deputy role outside Cherry Evans. Is he is he capable of continuing on where Cherry Evans was.
I'm not so sure. That's the question. Mark and that's the jury is out because even last year when when Tom or DC were in Brooks, he didn't play as well as he did when they were in the side. So it's a big responsibility for him.
And he said, manly, he's got a million bucks now too with his money, spend it on well.
Rugby League's strange.
People pop up all the time and you don't think there's anyone.
On before next year. Lachlan Galvin, he's off next year. A year after that, I'm saying, but he's going next year is another one. The situation up there like this because.
Next year is not the domino that you know what I mean that that starts a chain reaction around the game. Like Reynolds's situation I wrote about this week on Fox Sports is that he's off contract. He hasn't made a decision if he wants to play on. But if he does make a decision in say, let's say two months, that he wants to play on and the Broncos don't have room to keep him, where does he go? Because they've got Ezra Man coming back there, still got Ben Hunt, They've got about fourteen hookers up there, Like where does Renee go?
If he wants to play, he might be happy there cause and take less to stay, whereas that's what you would do if he was happy.
Or there might be six or seven clubs again looking for an experienced bloke to come in and do a job.
Made it for one season. Okay, quickly before we go, where's he land? One word? Roosters bulldogs? Okay, you stick around your nas and don't miss an unforgettable edition and face to face tonight with Doctor George.
Proponents freshured neck thresh and nose gouging, slipped the discrofding and breaking people's jaws.
That's what you had to do. It feels like you're in a state of survival. It was at times. So there's a lot of dirty In those days. You would just charge each other.
It's a lost art now.
I mean the newspapers used to give you the scrum count. You don't strike me as the dirty deeds kind of hooker.
I was getting gouged both through the punch of John Dallas Donney and he went down.
Because it was that or get their eyes gouched down. The last man out Calbary range down Captain George. For opponents
