Broncos rubbish rumours of Daly Cherry-Evans move to Red Hill
Social media carries huge power — but even Twitter can’t make Daly Cherry-Evans join the Broncos. PLUS, Jordan Kahu’s next move and Daniel Vidot’s a wrestling hit.
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The Broncos have rubbished rumours linking Maroons captain Daly Cherry-Evans with a move to Red Hill.
Club insiders were left baffled after speculation emerged DCE would be moving to Brisbane next year.
Blindside has been told the rumours are definitely not true and Cherry-Evans won’t be in a Broncos jersey in 2020. It is understood the reports started after a random tweet on Wednesday night.
Punters quickly jumped to the assumption DCE was tearing up his lifetime contract with Manly to take up a deal with Brisbane.
The Broncos are on the hunt for another halfback however DCE is not their man.
The 30-year-old Queenslander did see the funny side of it all when he was asked about it during Kangaroos camp.
“If I’m honest, 12 months ago this exact rumour popped up, so again I’m very flattered that a club of such prestige would chase a player like myself but I am very, very comfortable and very happy where I am at Manly so it’s nice, but I don’t know where it’s come from,” Cherry-Evans said.
“You’ve just got to laugh it off because I don’t know where it’s come from. Obviously social media plays a big part in it.”
RED HILL ANNOUNCEMENTS
Some key announcements are set to come out of Red Hill next week, just days out from the start of their pre-season.
Players and staff will begin arriving back from their time off over the coming days in preparation for the 2020 season.
And with November 1 fast approaching, the squeeze is on to lock up a number key players before they go on the “open market”.
It comes amid speculation over the future of boom teenager David Fifita, who has been linked to an expected multimillion-dollar battle between the Roosters and Rabbitohs.
The Broncos are quietly confident they can retain the 19-year-old who can negotiate with rival clubs from next Friday.
KAHU FUTURE
Former Cowboy and Bronco back Jordan Kahu is not done with footy just yet.
The 28-year-old Kiwi has this week addressed speculation surrounding his playing future, declaring “no damn way will I be retiring”.
Kahu was part of a clean-out of the Cowboys backline last season, which saw Enari Tuala, Javid Bowen, Gideon Gela-Mosby, Kurt Baptiste and Carlin Anderson not offered a new contract with the club.
Kahu, an avid videographer, has been road tripping around Queensland with his family during the off season and took to his social media this week to address his playing future.
“Had a heap of questions lately on my playing future,” Kahu wrote on his Instagram.
“Know this much — no damn way will I be retiring. You want me to give up? Don’t hold your breath. Lesssgoooo.”
Kahu has spoken previously about a potential move to rugby union so, could he be the latest rugby league player to switch to the 15-man game?
IN SAFE HANDS
Former Australian wicketkeeper and Queenslander great Ian Healy will be kept busier than usual this summer after becoming the Brisbane Heat chairman this week.
The cricket legend used his first official press conference as the head honcho to call for calm among the Test batting hopefuls.
Australia’s top six is looking murkier than ever with Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne the only batsmen certain of retaining their place after the likes of Usman Khawaja, Joe Burns, Cameron Bancroft, Marcus Harris and Matthew Renshaw failed to stake their case across two Sheffield Shield fixtures.
Healy admitted the Test top order was “in a state of flux” but called for the nation’s under-siege batmen to keep their heads.
“It hasn’t been like this since maybe the mid-80s but it has been like this before and so you’ve just got to keep it really simple at the crease, got to have a great desire to do well and a great passion to do well for your team,” Healy said.
“Don’t put the pressure on yourself. Get the job done for your team. That’s an easier thing to cope with and enjoy your teammates and it won’t be a coincidence if you play well with that attitude.”
Healy shared his excitement at joining the Brisbane Heat ahead of their WBBL double-header at Allan Border Field, branding the club as “the best sporting ticket in town”.
“It’s an exciting role, I’m involved on the board of Queensland cricket so why not be involved on this Brisbane Heat committee?” Healy said.
“It’s something we’ve always had but we might stiffen it up a little bit and give a bit more support to the off-field staff as well as the on-field staff.
“You’ve got to have wicketkeepers to run any sort of committee.”
THE UNTAMED
Former Broncos winger Daniel Vidot lived up to the hype as a professional wrestler at the WWE Live show at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre.
“The Untamed” Vidot received a great reception from fans when he was introduced on Tuesday night, winning hearts when speaking about his love for Brisbane, his family, his friends, and the support from ex-Broncos teammates, some of who were in the crowd.
But Vidot was then rudely interrupted by Sami Zeyn, who in a great sell as the “bad guy” did nothing but put down Brisbane, Vidot, his family and the Broncos.
As expected, the pair then “traded blows”, with Vidot coming out on top with a powerful move that sent Zeyn crashing to the canvas.
Vidot has a long way to go on his WWE journey, but his performance on Tuesday would have impressed his bosses.
BACK TO WORK
Incoming Titans coach Justin Holbrook will touch down on the Gold Coast next week, just in time for pre-season training.
The premiership-winning St Helens coach has flown out of the UK and enjoying a quick holiday before officially starting his new job on November 4, when players will return to training in preparation for their 2020 season.
FEMALE BANDITS
The hugely successful Brisbane Bandits will be one of the first clubs in Australia to field a female baseball team when the Australian Baseball League Women’s competition gets underway.
The Bandits were one of four clubs to be granted a provisional licence yesterday to field a women’s team ahead of their inaugural women’s season in 2021.
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