Daly Cherry-Evans is one victory away from ending his NRL career with a second premiership after helping the Sydney Roosters beat the Dolphins 36-20 in Friday night’s preliminary final at Suncorp Stadium.
The 37-year-old halfback, the oldest player in the competition, played a central role as the Roosters secured their place in next Sunday night’s decider. He will leave the club after the final and join Hull for a season in the English Super League.
Cherry-Evans said he recognised the Roosters’ title potential from the moment he spoke to chairman and owner Nick Politis before joining the club.
“When I signed here, it’s as simple as that,” Cherry-Evans said when asked when he realised the team could win the premiership. “The coach, the team, the club. I’m just really, really proud to be playing my role within the team.”
He said the Roosters had been working towards a premiership challenge since November last year, but insisted the job remained unfinished.
“Of course I’ve been dreaming about it,” he said. “I’m at a club and in a team that has a lot of like-minded people, so when I say I’m not surprised where we are, we’ve been working towards this and talking about this since November last year.
“We’ve given ourselves an opportunity, but the job’s not done yet.”
Cherry-Evans spent 15 years with Manly before moving to the Roosters. He rejected the suggestion that his motivation was to prove a point to his former club, saying his reasons were personal rather than driven by his departure.
“My motivations are so internal,” he said. “It’s those storylines that might be created around [me leaving] Manly, but it’s honestly got nothing to do with why I’ve continued to play the game of rugby league.
“I’ve loved everyone at Manly. I’ve loved every minute of Manly, but this is not about Manly. I am way more internally motivated than trying to stick it up anyone. I’m too old for that.”
The Roosters have also faced scepticism from outside the club, something Cherry-Evans believes has strengthened their resolve.
“I felt like when the opportunities arose, everyone was quick to jump off us, and that in itself has actually been really great for us,” he said. “The internal motivation is extremely high, and external doubt can be a nice little recipe sometimes.”
Politis, who also recruited Cooper Cronk before the Roosters’ 2018 and 2019 titles, was seen discussing Cherry-Evans after the win. When told what an outstanding signing the veteran had been, Politis replied: “He has, but he still missed a couple of goals tonight,” before smiling.
Coach Trent Robinson said Cherry-Evans had made a significant impact since arriving, while allowing captain James Tedesco to play with greater freedom as he seeks a third title.
“I’ve loved the way he has played, he’s playing great footy, he cares about his footy, and he’s had a huge impact on this group,” Robinson said. “It wasn’t about a fairytale [ending], it was about us getting through to next Sunday and finishing it off. He’s been a huge part of that.”
