That much is clear after Maroons coach Billy Slater axed captain and halfback Daly Cherry-Evans for Game II in Perth on May 18, throwing North Queensland young ’un Tom Dearden into the role and possibly the wolves.
We love to label in sport and DCE fits snuggly into the tray labelled “scapegoat”.
Asked on Monday morning if Cherry-Evans was, indeed, a scapegoat, Slater bristled.
“It’s not the case,” he insisted. “It’s a case of the best person for the position. It is what it is. When you’re in this position, you’ve got to think about what’s best for the team.”
Picking Dearden is probably what’s best for the team. He runs more direct than Cherry-Evans, has played consistently this season for the Cowboys, and has been considered the heir apparent to the No.7 jumper for some years.
He also won’t be overawed by the occasion: he was rushed in for Cameron Munster, who had tested positive to Covid-19, for the deciding match of the 2022 series and played the game of his life in a winning team.
Conversely, Cherry-Evans has been playing poorly since announcing on Channel 9 earlier this year that he wouldn’t be staying at Manly this season after a fallout with club bosses.
He’s apparently a done deal at the Roosters, although reports have emerged about buyer’s remorse among the club’s coaching staff.
Playing for Manly against Newcastle last Thursday, he seemed like a distracted footballer. His bizarre torpedo punt over the sideline in the second half was very unlike him.
Cherry-Evans wasn’t the worst player on the field in Queensland’s 18-6 loss in Game I at Suncorp Stadium, but he certainly looked like the oldest, which he officially became when he ran on to the field at the age of 36.
Which makes you wonder why Slater picked him in the first place.
We could all see Cherry-Evans struggling in the early rounds of the season. Why did Slater pick him when there was a strong chance he might have to sack your captain mid-series? That you might have to pick and flick?
In doing so, NSW has been provided with a rare opportunity to slip the boot into Queensland over its superior sense of loyalty that former players and media love to ram down our throats on a regular basis.
Canberra coach Ricky Stuart couldn’t resist after his side’s victory over South Sydney on Sunday.
“Queensland have got this culture of they pick and stick,” he said. “They’ve got this culture that they talk about hanging tough in tough times.
“So I think that Cherry-Evans will keep his position unless they’re going to break their culture. They’re going to break their attitude in regard to what they’ve been promoting for so many years.”
Meow! Stuart won Origins for NSW as a player in the early 1990s then coach in 2005 but hit a wall in 2011-12 when he coached against the greatest Queensland side in history on its way to eight consecutive series wins.
During those times, Queenslanders scoffed at NSW as they chopped and changed their team, particularly the halves, desperate to turn the beat around.
Whenever the Blues snagged a win, the Maroons would pick and stick, which was easy to do when they had modern-day greats like Cameron Smith, Greg Inglis, Johnathan Thurston, and, of course, Slater in their line-up.
When those players eventually retired, Cherry-Evans assumed control of the team as halfback and captain. Until then, he’d been considered a Maroons outcast.
He captained the state to three series victories, including 2020 when his team was branded the worst in history.
That record alone meant he deserved the same respect afforded so many Queensland legends in their twilight years.
Instead, Slater has dumped him mid-series. The last time Queensland sacked a skipper mid-series was 1996 when Trevor Gillmeister was speared after Game I.
Slater says he had a convivial phone call with Cherry-Evans on Sunday, but he needn’t have bothered: his sacking has been reported endlessly for over a week.
It’s unclear from where the leak came, but the captain deserved better.
Doubtless, a conga line of former NSW players will enjoy sticking it to Queensland over Cherry-Evans’ departure. At least it will provide some theatre for what has been a lifeless series so far.
The Blues can’t laugh too loud, though.
Coach Laurie Daley was poised to sack incumbent captain Jake Trbojevic for Game I despite him leading the state to victory last year. Daley didn’t have to make that call after Trbojevic became unavailable for selection because of concussion.
Slater was a revelation when he first came on as Queensland coach, winning back-to-back series in 2022 and 2023.
NSW coach Michael Maguire outsmarted him last year, and he now faces the possibility of a fourth consecutive loss that will mean a second consecutive series defeat.
If that happens, the Queensland Rugby League board will be left wondering if it’s time to pick and flick the coach.
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