NRL 2020: Daly Cherry-Evans now the best halfback, Ken Arthurson
Five years on from his infamous backflip on the Gold Coast Titans Daly Cherry-Evans is now the most influential playmaker in the NRL, according to Manly godfather Ken Arthurson.
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Manly’s legendary godfather Ken Arthurson has handed Daly Cherry-Evans some stunning praise in the countdown to the five-year anniversary of his infamous backflip on Gold Coast.
Ahead of today’s head-to-head showdown with Parramatta’s inform Mitchell Moses, Arthurson declared the often maligned $10 million man had earned the right to be named among Sea Eagles’ greatest No.7s.
And Arko also reckons DCE is also now the NRL’s most influential playmaker.
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“Toovs (Geoff Toovey) is entitled to be No.1 (on Manly’s all-time halfback list) but Daly is right up there at the top of the tree,” Arthurson said.
Over the decades Manly has had some champion No.7s.
Arthurson himself played in Manly’s first grand final in 1951 and so has seen them all.
Dennis Ward was their first premiership winning halfback in 1972 and played for the Kangaroos.
There was Johnny Mayes, Englishman Gary Stephens, and John Gibbs, Steve Martin and Des Hasler all represented Australia.
Phil Blake a sensation in the 1980s and played in two grand finals.
Toovey was also the Churchill Medallist in 1996 as well as being, pound-for-pound, the toughest of his era. Matt Orford captained them to a premiership and was a Dally M Medal winner.
Cherry-Evans won a comp in his rookie season in 2011, and also took out the Clive Churchill in 2013 in a losing side.
But it’s since Hasler’s return he’s taken his game to the next level.
“You have brought back a lot of memories for me when you started to name those players because you are quite right, all of those blokes were bloody good players,” Arthurson added.
“You do forget how good some of them were in their time.
“But I have got to say, if you are comparing Daly with the others he is right up there with the top halfbacks who has played for the club.
“And I have seen them all, there is not a struck match between quite a few of them.
“Toovs would be the No 1 if you had to pick.
“But all those men were really top players in their own way.”
This match against the Eels is shaping up as a ripper on the back of impressive performances from both teams last weekend.
While so much was made of Tom Trbojevic’s performance against the Bulldogs, Cherry-Evans was also superb.
But this clash against the inform Eels is next level.
These are the sort of games where chief playmakers earn their pay packet.
It was also two years ago next week that Cherry-Evans was under attack after a woeful performance against the Warriors led to calls for Jake Trbojevic to take over as Manly captain.
At the time Braith Anasta was not on his own — or out of line — when he labelled Cherry-Evans “a great frontrunner” but added “as soon as they get behind (and) they need something, he doesn’t deliver.”
Mick Ennis said: “As the marquee man you have got to deliver in those big moment”.
But that was then, and this is now.
There has been a lot of expectation put on the Eels this year, and especially Moses who is often described as the game’s most naturally gifted halfback.
But DCE is without doubt the new benchmark following the retirement of Cooper Cronk and Johnathan Thurston in recent years.
“I think he does an outstanding job as captain too, and he is growing into the role,” Arthurson said of the now 31-year-old.
“He has matured with age and experience.”
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Canberra’s latest cut-price Pom George Williams is playing for about $550,000 this year — half what Ben Hunt earns at the Dragons.
It makes Williams the NRL’s cheapest top-tier playmaker.
Williams shocked many with his performance in the big win in Melbourne last weekend.
One man who was not surprised was the Raiders’ gun recruitment chief Peter Mulholland. He had been tracking the Englishman for some time before he threw Williams’ name forward to Ricky Stuart.
“It was just his creativity, I was taken back by it,” Mulholland said.
“And his desire to put his body in front of defence. They are the two hallmarks of any halfback.
“It was also validated by Josh Hodgson, Elliott Whitehead and John Bateman, who had played with him in the Test side.”
Williams has already played in 11 Tests for England and four grand finals for Wigan, which is why Mulholland also won’t fall for the argument it was a risk.
“We’ve got all these commentators saying he’s an enigma in so far as we haven’t had a lot of success with English halves out here,” Mulholland said.
“I was at Western Suburbs when we brought out Ellery Hanley and Gary Schofield, who both played in the halves at stages.
“You can go back further. Daryl Powell was great at Balmain. Andy Gregory was here. Dave Bolton. Tommy Bishop.
“We’ve always had success with English halves. I don’t think it has been so much a problem. We just haven’t brought that many out.
“I honestly didn’t think we had a hope in hell of getting him out here
at one stage but the success of the other guys in Canberra really opened his eyes.”
It’s another shining example of why it pays to think outside the box.
Williams’ salary will go up substantially in ensuing years but getting to him first gives the Raiders bang for their buck.
Like when fellow Englishman Hodgson arrived in the NRL and was on less than $300,000. Now Hodgson has displaced Cameron Smith as the game’s champion dummy half and earns accordingly.
Just look at what other top playmakers are reportedly on, it only makes Williams an ever better buy.