Daly Cherry-Evans has topped up his long-term Manly Sea Eagles deal, stretching his current contract from eight years to ten. The Kangaroos halfback will now stay in maroon-and-white in clubland until 2025, at least.
The Manly star’s pay packet for the final two years is shrouded in mystery.
Right now, Cherry-Evans is earning around $1.3 million a season to lead the silvertails around the park week on week. On top of that, the 33-year-old has a ‘highest earner’ clause, meaning it gets bumped up any time another NRL player hits a similar salary.
Whether that clause has been included in the 2024 and 2025 sections of the now-10-year-deal has not been confirmed. The Sporting Base expects Manly will have yoinked that out of the final two years. Instead, there are whispers he’ll be earning closer to $700,000 or $800,000 each campaign and remain at the heart of the team in the no.7 jumper.
Cherry-Evans will be almost 37 by the time this deal ends.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, there’s another catch too; if DCE and the club want to rubber-stamp the move, the new deal could extend another two years, to 2027.
Either way, the halfback, who also captains the squad, will remain a core Manly star alongside Tom and Jake Trbojevic, who are earning a combined $2m a year for at least five more seasons.
The encumbent Queensland number seven spoke about staying at Manly deep into the 2020s earlier this month, admitting he is eager to see the next Sea Eagles project through to its conclusion before he thinks about hanging up the boots.
“I don’t just want to keep playing, I want to play to win, and I’m looking to win here in Manly,” Cherry-Evans said. “A core group of players, including the coach we love and trust, has already been re-contracted and it excites me that we are in a really good position to succeed.
“My family is happy on North Beach, we love the school and we have a great group of friends.
“I feel really lucky when my name is associated with another NRL club because if I don’t play good football, other clubs will not want to touch you, especially a start-up club like with Wayne Bennett, whom I have many respects for.
“I’m 33 now, and all the boys in Queensland like [Cooper] Cronk and [Johnathan] Thurston, they played at the top of their power until their mid-thirties. I will not put a deadline on it. There are deadlines in the contract, yes, but I will train as hard as I can, compete on game day. My love will always be there, it depends on whether I can compete or not.
“Things really have to go south in Manly for me to think of going somewhere else.”
