Gold Coast Titans urged to forgive Daly Cherry-Evans for infamous backflip and sign the Manly halfback
Daly Cherry-Evans delivered a dagger to the Titans in 2015 when he backflipped on a signed contract, but club bosses have been urged to forgive the Manly star and finally get him to the Gold Coast.
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The man who signed Daly Cherry-Evans at the Titans has urged Gold Coast bosses to forgive the Manly superstar for his infamous backflip and have another crack at poaching the Queensland captain.
Cherry-Evans is on the NRL’s open market for 2026 after informing Manly he would not remain at the Sea Eagles beyond this year.
The bombshell decision by the 332-game Sea Eagles legend has sent shockwaves through the NRL and set off speculation about where ‘DCE’ will be playing next year if he does not retire.
Cherry-Evans, 36, signed a four-year contract with the Titans in March 2015, only to renege on the deal three months later to remain with Manly on what the club called a “lifetime contract”.
But he has now declared he will not play for the Sea Eagles beyond this year, with either retirement or a move to a rival club on the cards for the 2011 premiership-winner.
The Roosters are favourites to sign Cherry-Evans for a two-season cameo while the Dolphins have also expressed interest in the Redcliffe-born playmaker.
But the Titans have a trump card in coach Des Hasler, who handed Cherry-Evans his NRL debut in Manly’s 2011 premiership season and maintains a strong relationship with the halfback.
Cherry-Evans sent a dagger through the heart of the battling Titans 10 years ago when he exploited the NRL’s previous rules and backflipped on a signed contract with Gold Coast.
He personally spoke to former Titans coach Neil Henry after making the decision, but a club owner refused to return Cherry-Evans’ call at the time.
Ex-Titans recruitment manager Jamie Mathiou played a key role in signing Cherry-Evans at the time and said Hasler had to explore reuniting with his former halfback.
“They need an experienced half and Des has got a relationship with him,” he said.
“At the end of the day, Daly made a business decision. With business decisions, sometimes they fall your way, sometimes they don’t.
“I’d look at it that way. It wasn’t a personal thing.
“Because it’s sport, people take it personally, but he has a family and a business essentially.
“If the Titans want an experienced half to help these young kids then he can do it.
“If Daly wanted to come up this way then why not?”
Cherry-Evans’ signature was viewed as the greatest signing in Titans history when he committed to the club in 2015.
But shortly after, speculation surfaced that he was contemplating pulling out of the move. It was initially denied by Cherry-Evans’ former management.
The Sea Eagles exploited the NRL’s old ‘Round 13 rule’ which allowed players to renege on contracts at the halfway point of the season. The rule was abolished after the Cherry-Evans saga.
Cherry-Evans’ management at the time used the signed Titans contract as leverage to secure their client an eight-year deal with Manly.
“I was disappointed at the time but it was a business decision and you don’t take it personally,” Mathiou said.
“We ended up signing Ash Taylor who went really well in the first year and then the Titans gave him a million dollars.
“Daly is the Origin captain now.
“Everyone forgives and forgets. It’s business and you have to do what’s best for the business.
“There’s so much emotion in sport that people can forget that.
“You have to take the emotion out and think ‘what’s best for the business?’”
The Titans are lacking genuine playmakers.
Veteran Kieran Foran is injured and expected to retire at the end of the season while Wallabies recruit Carter Gordon is sidelined indefinitely with a back injury.
Hasler has converted fullbacks Jayden Campbell and AJ Brimson into halves this season to make up for a shortfall in NRL quality playmakers.
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