Almost two months after Manly’s final game for 2025, there’s still no official news on the future of Daly Cherry-Evans.
Long rumoured to be linking with Trent Robinson at the Sydney Roosters in 2026—to the point that young playmaker Sandon Smith is set for a move to Newcastle next season—the 36-year-old is yet to formerly announce his next move in a contract saga that began way back in March and shows no sign of ending.
While we do know DCE won’t be at Brookvale when preseason training begins next month, where he will be continues to be a matter of pure sporting conjecture.
Back in July, veteran News Corp journalist Phil Rothfield confidently declared a deal between DCE and the Roosters had been signed ’10 weeks ago’.
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“Both clubs now have an agreement that once Manly are done, once the Roosters are done (in 2025), they will then make their announcement,” Rothfield said.
Well, with the 2025 NRL seasons of both the Sea Eagles and Roosters long since completed it’s still tumbleweeds.
Could it be the much talked-about move isn’t quite as locked in as we’ve all been led to believe?
Is DCE having second thoughts?
Are the Roosters?
Could retirement even be back on the cards for the 353-game NRL veteran?
Whatever the truth, it’s certainly become one of the most mysterious and drawn out contract sagas in NRL history.
We’d say ‘watch this space’, but it could be quite a long wait.
Thankfully we have the Ashes, rugby league and cricket, to keep us occupied for the next couple of months.