Manly great Anthony Watmough slams former teammate Daly Cherry-Evans
IN an extraordinary personal attack, retired Sea Eagles star Anthony Watmough yesterday took aim at Daly Cherry-Evans as a feud going back six years was reopened. The club has thrown its support behind the Manly captain.
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THIS was the back page headline that, six years ago, sent then Manly forward Anthony Watmough into a rage at teammate Daly Cherry-Evans.
And it’s what prompted the former NSW and Australian star to reopen old wounds of a feud no one inside Manly’s inner sanctum has ever spoken about.
In an extraordinary personal attack, Watmough slammed current Manly captain Cherry-Evans as a “f … wit”, while also taking a hefty swipe at former Sea Eagles coach Geoff Toovey.
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The bad blood stems from 2012 when The Daily Telegraph reported Cherry-Evans’ manager Gavin Orr had requested a release from the final two years of his Sea Eagles contract, where he was due to be paid $85,000 and $125,000 for those seasons.
“Yeah, it was Cherry’s first year (in the NRL back in 2011) then he turned into a f … wit,” Watmough told the Hello Sport podcast.
The 2011 premiers were trying to manage their salary cap, helped largely by the likes of Watmough, Glenn and Brett Stewart and Jamie Lyon signing contracts below their market value in order to keep the team together and challenge for titles.
“He didn’t give a f..k about the boys. I told him ‘f..k you’,” Watmough said of Cherry-Evans’ contract stance.
“After 2011, Dessie (Hasler, then coach) left and so I sort of heard whispers, well it wasn’t whispers, it was on the back page of the f...ing paper.
“We had a team meeting, I told ‘Chezza’ to stay back and I said: ‘Hey mate what’s this we hear about what we’re reading in the papers’?”
“I said ‘mate you just signed a f … ing four-year-deal, you turn up to training’. He goes: ‘Nup. My manager told me not to turn up to training until Manly increase his pay), not to give a f … k about the boys.
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“I’ve looked after him, gave him whatever he wanted as a kid. Always made sure he didn’t want for anything.
“And so I said to him ‘Mate, you know what we’ve (senior playing group) sacrificed to stay together, to be successful. Your time will come’. And he just looked me straight in the eye and went ‘nah, not turning up’.
“So I just went ‘f... you’.”
Watmough also revealed Toovey’s response caused him to lose respect for his coach.
“So I’ve walked out and went to Tooves and said: ‘Don’t give him any money. You’ve got him by the balls. If he doesn’t turn up to training, fine him’.
“And Tooves just succumbed to the board. Next thing we know he’s up around the $500,000 mark after being on $50,000. So that’s where Tooves stopped worrying about the players and started worrying about his own back. Tooves chose one side of the board over the players and that’s where he lost me.”
Cherry-Evans, who will carry this criticism into Saturday night’s clash with ladder leaders St George Illawarra, could not be contacted on Wednesday. Toovey did not answer his phone.
Told of Watmough’s blast, Cherry-Evans’ manager Gavin Orr, said: “I don’t think there has ever been any love lost between them.
“It’s one man’s opinion. I haven’t read the comments — it should be interesting. You’d have to talk to Cherry. I’m not too fussed. If Daly wants to air (his feelings), let him do it.”
He also defended his client threatening to quit despite being contracted for two further years.
“A lot of this is news to me. It wasn’t what Daly thought he was worth, it was what the market thought he was worth,” Orr said.
“You’re only as good as what someone is willing to pay you.”
Manly CEO Lyall Gorman added: “What we do when any of our players come under disparaging comments, we rally around them. Daly is our club leader — we don’t have any desire to give that sort of commentary any life.”
Watmough was aware his comments would cause a stir, given the Sea Eagles had built their club culture on the peninsula through the playing group sticking together.
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“People are going to hate me for coming out and saying this but people have to know at the end of the day what the real situation was,” Watmough said.
“I didn’t even want to speak about it but there comes a time when I feel that I had to.
“I thought f..k it, I’m not going to hold onto it anymore. I seriously hold onto that every day and that’s the only thing that has stopped me from letting go of everything, because I haven’t told my side; the real side that people didn’t get to hear. I feel a weight being lifted off my chest. I’m being honest. I’ve just been holding onto that.”
Watmough offered more controversial opinions on Manly’s current drama with Jackson Hastings, who was again overlooked for selection this week.
“It doesn’t take rocket scientist to see he’s probably pissed one too Manly people off in the game,” Watmough said.
“I think people are starting to see it for what it is. They thought we (the former senior playing group) were the issue and then we left. Then the next year Tooves was the issue, then they got rid of him.
“And then all of a sudden it’s poor Jackson Hastings. Look I don’t really know the guy. I know people have different opinions but, because Cherry-Evans didn’t like him, they f … ing bullied him into a corner which was pretty poor on the club’s behalf I think.
“But I’ve got a big wrap on Trent Barrett. I think he’s a great coach. I think he’s done everything right at that club, accept that decision. Coming out and isolating a player like that I think is the only shit thing he’s done at the club and he’s done some great things.
“Anyone else wouldn’t be there. I think he’s got a lot of integrity as a coach. But look Cherry-Evans was in the thick of it then. There’s only so much one person can be involved before people start to realise.”
Originally published as Manly great Anthony Watmough slams former teammate Daly Cherry-Evans
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