Sydney Roosters coach Trent Robinson has commended Daly Cherry-Evans' move from the Manly Sea Eagles after 15 seasons on the Northern Beaches, labelling it a brave move in a bid to finish his NRL career with a second premiership ring.
Cherry-Evans's high-profile switch to Bondi was met with plenty of questions, but ultimately the Roosters are on the doorstep of the gamble paying off, with Cherry-Evans brought to the club to take them to the next level and win a title.
In a move eerily similar to what the Roosters did with Cooper Cronk in 2018, Cherry-Evans' experience in big games has elevated the playing side, as well as boosted Sam Walker's halfback development throughout 2026.
Robinson heaped plenty of praise on Cherry-Evans for the gamble he took to make the switch across town.
“I think the first thing is just even the courage that he showed,” Robinson told SEN's Kick Off.
“It's so easy to finish your career, a legend at Manly and walk out; surely that's the right thing to do.
“But he felt he was just jogging to the end, and that's not in his DNA.
“Then he made a choice which wasn't going to be popular outside of the Roosters.
“It was going to be, why would you do that? You have to do this as a legend player and all of that.
“And he said, I want to sprint to the end; that was his decision. So, he made a really tough choice, and then that makes it really clear about why you play the game.”
Cherry-Evans is the Sea Eagles' highest-capped player of all time, but a breakdown in contract negotiations in the 2025 preseason opened the door for him to have a peek outside Brookvale to see what was out there.
Given Cherry-Evans and Walker both are chief playmakers, there was plenty of scepticism about whether the combination would strike.
The duo built as the season went on, and Walker has had a career-best season which saw him elevate to QLD Maroons halfback duties and take out Player of the Match in the second State of Origin fixture.
When Walker went down with a syndesmosis injury requiring surgery, Cherry-Evans easily slotted into his preferred position of halfback after playing five-eighth all season.
“If you're gonna make a tough choice to leave Manly to come to Roosters, then your purpose about playing each week is really clear,” he added.
“And he's shown that, and then for us, I thought the balance - two halfbacks don't usually work. It's not usually traditional, but Sam's not traditional, Daly's not traditional.
“I thought if we could put them together with the strength of each player, they could complement each other, and it took a few months to do that, but I feel like we've really sort of led into a really good balance between the two.”
Cherry-Evans will depart the NRL following Sunday's Grand Final, bringing his total matches in the competition to 379.
The 37-year-old veteran will make a switch in hemispheres and relocate to Hull FC to continue his rugby league journey in the English Super League.
