Trent Barrett says Daly Cherry-Evans has the toughness to lead Queensland
As the debate about the next Queensland captain goes on north of the border, Trent Barrett has broken a six-month media silence to support Daly Cherry-Evans as the man with the maturity to be a State of Origin leader.
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The man who appointed Daly Cherry-Evans the captain of Manly has declared the playmaker has proven he has the leadership skills, maturity and resilience to lead Queensland.
Trent Barrett, the former Sea Eagles coach, has broken a six-month media silence to publicly support Cherry-Evans, one of the leading contenders for the vacant Maroons captaincy.
Barrett explained why Cherry-Evans is ready to guide Queensland, declaring most players would’ve crumbled under the pressure the Sea Eagle has endured during his nine years in the NRL.
“He’s a very mentally tough person,’’ Barrett told The Sunday Telegraph.
“To put up with the stuff that he’s had to put up with, I have a lot of admiration for how he has kept bouncing back.
“His relationships that were publicised with other (Manly) players, and the Gold Coast stuff (where he backed out of a contract with the Titans in 2015), he’s really matured and he’s come through it a better person.
“There were times when a lot of the criticism was unfair and he was an easy target.
“It takes a toll on you. He was only a young bloke with a young family and he’s a confidence player like anyone.
“It would’ve been too much for some players.
“With all that outside noise, for him to persevere and hang in and come through the other side, I think is a good quality and he’s reaping the benefits now.’’
Barrett appointed Cherry-Evans to take over from retired Manly champion Jamie Lyon as club captain in 2017.
Cherry-Evans was handed the captaincy at a time when the club had just farewelled a wealth of NRL experience in Lyon and fellow premiership winners Brett Stewart, Jamie Buhrer and Steve Matai.
Barrett conceded Cherry-Evans was initially cautious about taking over the role.
But as his leadership of the 2019 surprise packets has shown, Cherry-Evans’ game has gone from strength to strength to a point where he is now in contention to fill the void of retired Queensland captain Greg Inglis.
Maroons coach Kevin Walters has also nominated Jake Friend, Michael Morgan and Cameron Munster as his frontline candidates.
“At the end of 2016, Jamie Lyon was Manly captain, but he got hurt and so I gave the captaincy to Jake (Trbojevic) for the last few rounds of the season,’’ Barrett said.
“I didn’t give Cherry (Evans) the captaincy straight away.
“Then once there was a bit of a changing of the guard and all the older players were gone, I thought it was a good opportunity for Cherry and I knew it was in him. And I just think he needed to find himself and believe in himself.
“He was a bit sceptical at the start, wondering if he was the right fit. I knew he was. I think he’s certainly matured into the role and developed into a really good leader at Manly.
“I’m sure if he was given a crack at leading Queensland, he’d handle it. The one thing I know about Cherry is, he’s very passionate about leading Queensland.
“Not too many people get to captain Queensland and it would be a huge honour for him and he wouldn’t take that lightly.’’
Barrett said he wasn’t the only one that held Cherry-Evans’ values as a leader in high regard.
“Mal Meninga picked him as captain in the Prime Minister’s XIII Test against Papua New Guinea at the end of last year, so that’s a fair indication of what other people are thinking of him as well,’’ Barrett said.
“He’s one player who plays better with responsibility.
“That’s why when I made him captain, it was about showing the belief that we had in him as a club and as a coach, that you’re our man, you’re our halfback and you’re our best leader, so the job is yours.
“I think he’s got better and better and better.
“He’s been thereabouts in the Dally M votes the last three seasons, he won our Player of the Year in 2017 and he wasn’t far off Jake (Trbojevic) in 2018.
“He’s been very consistent and he’s been through a lot off the field through his career, so he’s well equipped to handle this next step if it comes his way.’’
Barrett, who officially remains contracted to Manly until July despite his ugly divorce last year after three seasons with the club, said he was happy for the Sea Eagles positive start to 2019.
“I’m still in touch with a few of the boys and it’s great to see their development,’’ Barrett said.
“They’re good blokes and hopefully they can keep going okay this year and make the semi finals.’’
Originally published as Trent Barrett says Daly Cherry-Evans has the toughness to lead Queensland
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