The Manly Sea Eagles are hoping to finish their season strong with a win over the New Zealand Warriors, who are locked into finals football but clinging to slim top-four hopes.
In his milestone 350th NRL game, Daly Cherry-Evans not only suffered a broken nose but also found himself at the centre of one of the weekend’s most talked-about moments.
That moment was a failed attempt to trip a pitch invader at Kogarah on Stadium.
Cherry-Evans confirmed scans were needed to ensure there was no damage to his airways after copping the knock, but he was more amused than hurt by his streaker-style encounter.
The 36-year-old captain said he was inspired by the late cricket legend Andrew Symonds, who famously flattened a streaker during an ODI at the Gabba in 2008.
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It is also not the first time encountering a pitch invader, having a similar situation occur earlier this season after a loss against the Titans at Gold Coast.
“He came from far away, so I had a few seconds to process it,” Cherry-Evans said in an interview with SMH. The first thing that goes through your mind is, does he look threatening, and could he hurt us? But it quickly became clear he was doing it for a laugh.
“Once I realised he was going to be harmless, I thought, this is my Andrew Symonds moment. He came straight past me and I tried to trip him, but missed. I didn’t nail it at all. The boys then started telling me I might be charged with grade-one tripping.”
Cherry-Evans reassured fans that he will be fit to play next Friday despite sporting two black eyes earlier in the week.
“I was fine. The nose is also fine. It’s broken, and there was a lot of swelling, and both eyes were blackened at the start of the week, but I will be right for next Friday. I won’t miss it.
While Cherry-Evans won’t be missing any game time, he admits he will miss playing alongside teammates Jake and Tom Trbojevic, praising Jake as “arguably the best lock in the game” at his peak and Tom as one of rugby league’s top fullbacks.
With the Warriors preparing for finals and the Sea Eagles looking to spoil their momentum, Cherry-Evans’ “grade-one tripping” attempt has already become one of the funniest storylines of the NRL season.