State of Origin 2017: The truth about Daly Cherry-Evans and his chance of an Origin recall
AMID all the chatter and innuendo that surrounds Daly Cherry-Evans, Queensland selector Darren Lockyer has the honest truth about the Maroons hopeful.
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AMID all the chatter and innuendo that surrounds Daly Cherry-Evans, here is the honest truth.
No one in Queensland hierarchy has marked Cherry-Evans’ cards. No one has told Daly he will not wear the Queensland jumper again.
On Saturday, the ball is in Cherry-Evans’ court and he can play himself back into the Queensland team for the Origin decider with a man-of-the-match performance against the Warriors in Perth.
Johnathan Thurston’s five-eighth jumper is up for grabs, several players are in the mix to replace him, including Daly, Corey Norman, Ben Hunt and Michael Morgan.
Given Daly’s renaissance at club level, there is fresh expectation and pressure on him going into the Warriors game. If he can play well against the Warriors, it will be another box ticked in his journey back to the Origin arena.
There is a perception, however real, that Cherry-Evans is on the nose with Queensland players.
I can honestly say I’ve never heard anyone within the Queensland set-up criticise Daly. Some experts might have reservations about Daly’s game management at Origin level.
The fact he has started twice for the Maroons and lost both games has fuelled an external belief that Cherry-Evans cannot fit into the team structure.
The reality is that the man he replaced in those two games, Cooper Cronk, is the benchmark when it comes to game management and organisation.
Now, with Thurston out, whether Daly and Cronk can jell as a scrumbase combination is something the selection panel must seriously discuss.
It would be unfair to suggest Cherry-Evans cannot fire at Origin level. He is used to calling the shots at Manly, but in the past, when Daly has come into the Queensland team, he has probably taken a back seat out of respect to Johnathan Thurston as the senior playmaker.
I remember going into Australian teams as the new playmaker with guys like Brad Fittler and Andrew Johns. You are mindful not to overstep the mark and dominate like you do at your club.
But Cherry-Evans is a better player now than he was a few years ago. He got through that intense period of high expectations after signing a record deal with the Sea Eagles. He has matured and is riding a purple patch where everything he is touching turns to gold at present.
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This weekend’s round of football will be decisive. At least three positions in the team — left centre, five-eighth and the No. 14 utility spot — are open for debate and the picture will become clear over the next 24 hours.
Cameron Munster and Justin O’Neill will be considered for a centre berth, but the tactical rationale Queensland must weigh up is Morgan’s importance to the bench.
If he starts at five-eighth ahead of Cherry-Evans, we have to find a new bench utility. Least amount of disruption as possible after the Game Two win is desirable, so there is logic to keeping Morgan where he is and bringing in a specialist playmaker to fill Thurston’s boots.
But there is a real appeal to starting Morgan at five-eighth. He was outstanding in Origin II and after seven matches for Queensland, he knows the structures and has a chemistry with key men like Cronk and Cameron Smith.
There are no concerns over Morgan’s ability to make the shift to the left side. He is traditionally a right-side player at the Cowboys but at Origin level, he plays either side of the ruck for Queensland in his roving utility role.
The absence of Thurston this season at club level through injury has helped Morgan develop himself in to a real playmaker and game manager.
As it stands, Thurston’s replacement for the Origin decider is still not settled. The time is now for guys like Cherry-Evans, Morgan, Munster and Ben Hunt to show us they can do the job for Queensland.
Originally published as State of Origin 2017: The truth about Daly Cherry-Evans and his chance of an Origin recall
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