As it stands, the Sydney Roosters are still expected to sign Daly Cherry-Evans at the end of the season, with Nick Politis having already given the 36-year-old veteran his verbal agreement to ink the deal.
That said, there’s cogs slowly turning in Bondi as the Roosters watch “DCE” and the Sea Eagles fall apart – and it may lead to an extraordinary backflip from Politis, who barely ever goes back on his word.
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The biggest hinge in the whole situation is that nothing has been formally signed yet: While Trent Robinson and the Roosters are expecting Cherry-Evans to front up to 2026 preseason training at the end of the year, the NRL has yet to have any contract registered at its administrative offices. Whether that means pen has been put to paper isn’t quite clear.
What is clear, though, is that Sydney isn’t happy. When they made the move for DCE – in a saga that arguably detonated the Sea Eagles’ whole 2025 season – the glamour club thought they were getting a State of Origin superstar and Queensland captain.
Since the informal agreement, Cherry-Evans has been dropped from Origin and Manly have slipped to 10th.
There’s very little doubt they’ll miss finals this season, with two wins still needed in the next three.
Considering they face several other more in-form teams also fighting for the same spot in the next two weeks in the Dolphins and the Dragons before coming up against top four side the Warriors, the odds are certainly not on their side.
And then there’s the Roosters roster situation too, with Sam Walker seemingly finding another level when paired with breakout star Hugo Savala – who has been told that he’ll be the long-term halves partner alongside Walker for as long as he can keep playing at the same level. Not exactly much room for DCE in the Sydney setup when that’s the plan.
Sentiments in Bondi have turned towards not rocking the boat; Walker and Savala should be trusted to see the tricolours through their next era, without either having to play second fiddle to an aging halfback on a one-year deal.
And so the question within the Roosters has become: ‘Do we backflip on Cherry-Evans?’
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Considering The Sporting Base has heard numbers getting up to $1 million for the signing, it makes sense financially as well as from a roster-building perspective to bin off the deal and double down on the young players already signed through the next years.
It’s perhaps a cruel way to end a glittering NRL career, but not totally unexpected considering DCE’s age.
But – it might be one DCE is already coming to accept.
“It’s just the realisation it’s going to be hard to get there… It’s what everyone wanted, not just me. I don’t know if toll’s the right word, but right now there’s a bit to process,” the Sea Eagles captain said in an emotional interview after losing to the Tigers 28–12 on Sunday.”I’ve been here for so long, part of the club a long time, I’ve got a lot of love for this place.”
“We’re now hoping, which is not where you want to be.”
“That [finals] is looking really unlikely now…” he began before catching himself.
Instead, he said: “As I’ve done throughout my career, I’ve dusted myself off and will get ready for next week.”
