Manly boss Tony Mestrov smacks down ugly Daly Cherry-Evans claims amid impending NRL exit

Manly boss Tony Mestrov has come clean on claims surrounding Daly Cherry-Evans after the Sea Eagles skipper announced he plans to leave the club.

Manly boss Tony Mestrov has slapped down ugly claims circulating about club captain Daly Cherry-Evans after the 36-year-old revealed he will be leaving the side at season’s end.

The Sea Eagles halfback voiced his desire to continue on beyond this year earlier this month and was reportedly seeking a two-year extension.

However, Manly was reportedly holding firm on only wanting to hand him a one-year deal.

And late on Monday, the Manly star revealed he would be playing on next year at a different club, even sensationally turning down a seemingly last-minute $1.5m two-year offer, tabled to him after he announced he would be leaving the club on Monday.

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“Look respectfully … no (I won’t take it),” he said on 100% Footy on Monday night in response to Manly’s $1.5m two-year offer.

“As I said I’ve been sleeping on this decision since December, so talking to my family we’re okay with the decision … we’re at peace with it and we understand that it’s not going to make everyone happy and there’s going to be a lot of Manly fans that are really upset with this.

“I understand that but as a family and a friendship group, we’ve been aware of it for a while now and now it’s public it’ll be big news and I get that but we’re content with the decision.”

It means the Queensland skipper will need to sign elsewhere to continue his distinguished career, with offers upwards of $1m a season surely set to come in for one of the best halfbacks in the game.

Pictured Daly Cherry-Evans left and Tony Mestrov right.

It is the type of money that Manly simply cannot afford to offer him, with several stars on big money and high wraps on young halves Onitoni Large and Joey Walsh, who are seen as Cherry-Evans’ successors.

Many fans and pundits also believed that the club may have lowballed the skipper in a bid to free up salary cap space and that ultimately drove Cherry-Evans out the door.

But Mestrov said on Tuesday that simply wasn’t the case and stated he still hopes their skipper will change his mind.

“I think he’s still not sure about what he’s doing. And he reiterated that yesterday, so I don’t think he’s sure,” Mestrov said in a press conference on Tuesday morning.

“So while he’s reconsidering his future, we made an offer, we’ve been discussing that offer, and I think as a Manly supporter, you want to see him at the club.”

While the Manly boss also shut down rumours of a potential rift between their skipper and coach Anthony Seibold.

It comes after Phil Rothfield asked the question if the relationship between Cherry-Evans and Seibold could be behind his decision to leave.

“Is he tight with the coach?” Rothfield asked on NRL 360.

“DCE got married in the off-season and Seibold wasn’t invited, which I found unusual. I’m not saying there is a feud, I’m just wondering how close they are.”

Daly Cherry-Evans could command upwards of $1m a season at another club from next season. (Photo by Jeremy Ng/Getty Images)

Brent Read replied: “I hear the same rumours you do and there has been some whispers around for a while that they are not super tight.

But Mestrov shut down suggestions of any disharmony and revealed the club has even offered him a coaching position when he hangs up the boots.

“I just want to clarify at this point that there’s no animosity between Daly and the club,” Mestrov said.

“I spoke to Daly before I came to this press conference today. There is no problem within the club with Daly, there’s no problem at all with Daly.

“Daly’s told a few teammates that it will be his last year and it’s up to Daly to quantify that or whatever he wants to do, but the ball’s in sport in regard to the offer.

“ … I don’t think he’s still certain around what he wants to do. He doesn’t know if he wants to retire.

“He’s got a coaching offer from us to coach beyond that. But it’s his decision. We obviously discussed an offer back in October, November. Daly said, look, I’m not sure if I want to retire, I’m not sure if I want to go overseas, but it will be the last year man.

“We respected that and I think it’s his decision.”

The Roosters, Dragons and Dolphins have been thrown up as possible landing spots for the champion No. 7 should he play on.

– with NewsWire

Originally published as Manly boss Tony Mestrov smacks down ugly Daly Cherry-Evans claims amid impending NRL exit