Axed Queensland veteran Daly Cherry-Evans nowhere to be seen as Maroons clinch State of Origin in underdog fashion
Only one member of the Maroons squad didn’t show up for the Origin decider, and it’s raised plenty of eyebrows across the NRL world.
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It was a chopped and changed Queensland side that eventually got the State of Origin series win in stunning fashion.
That didn’t stop injured or axed stars from coming down to Sydney to their team and state.
Even if they preferred to be on the field as in Games 1 and 2, Kalyn Ponga, Beau Fermor and Moeaki Fotuaika were all in attendance at Accor Stadium on Wednesday night to witness Queensland’s stirring upset of the Blues.
But CODE Sports revealed there was one man who was notably missing - the man who was Queensland’s captain just weeks ago - Daly Cherry-Evans.
The veteran no. 7 wasn’t around for the celebration despite residing in Sydney.
News.com.au has reached out to DCE’s NRL team the Manly Sea Eagles for comment, while CODE Sports attempted to contact the star halfback directly but received no response.
To add insult to injury for DCE, it was replacement halfback Tom Dearden who shone in Game 3, notching two tries putting NSW to the sword, man of the match and the Wally Lewis medal.
Cherry-Evans played more than 26 games for his state, but after a poor outing in Game 1 this year, coach and former teammate Billy Slater made the stunning decision to drop him from the side.
On the opposite side, injured Game I star Mitchell Moses appeared in the Blues coaching box, while prop Mitch Barnett was eager to attend but deterred from flying after the recent operation on his knee following a nasty season-ending ACL injury.
Slater explained his decision to drop DCE after Game I, revealing the hard phone call to his former teammate.
“Obviously Daly wanted to play and he was disappointed that he wasn’t going to get the opportunity,” Slater said.
“They are tough conversations but it was one that was had with a lot of respect.
“It’s just a case of the best person for the position. I’m sure people have their opinion. I’m sure you’ll have your opinion on it. It is what it is.
“What he has given this jersey and what he has done for this footy team and this group, that will be with all Queenslanders and with Daly for the rest of his life.
“No one can take that away from him. We just feel that Tom Dearden has earned the opportunity to play in the number seven jersey.”
The Manly halfback said the news was “tough” at the time, particularly when facing his club teammates at training the next day.
“After that, I honestly started to feel, you know, normal. This is not the first time that I’ve been dropped from the Queensland side, so I guess I’ve had experience to take it on board,” he said.
“You just can’t worry about the things you can’t control and the initial news was tough, but I moved on and thought we were going to come here tonight and play some really good footy.”
Cherry-Evans was also asked if his much publicised expected move to the Roosters could collapse following the selection and dip in form.
The Sydney based club was thought to be offering the veteran halfback a two-year deal from 2026 but no official news has yet been announced.
“All I can do is control my footy at Manly and speculation will be speculation.”
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Originally published as Axed Queensland veteran Daly Cherry-Evans nowhere to be seen as Maroons clinch State of Origin in underdog fashion
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