Career over: It's been a ride, but it's time to axe this Origin champion

The Advertiser

3 days ago

Now is the time for Queensland coach Billy Slater to end the State of Origin career of veteran halfback and Maroons captain Daly Cherry-Evans.
Cherry-Evans chose to remain available for Origin this year rather than retire from representative football and that was his right, but he did so at the risk of eventually having the decision made for him and that risk is now huge.
It's not just about Queensland's 18-6 loss to NSW in game one and DCE's poor form in that match. It's about what needs to be done with the overall make-up of the team.
Picking Tom Dearden on the bench is pointless. He must either be in the starting side or not in the 17 at all. He's not a genuine back-up hooker and to be there to cover for the halves is a luxury the Maroons can't afford.
Dearden proved himself as a starter for Queensland and Australia last year and was the form halves player among Queenslanders heading into Origin game one this year.
It was a big mistake by Slater to leave him out of the starting side for that game. He should've been the halfback, with DCE left out altogether.
Queensland have had success in recent years with the formula of picking two hookers in their 17. They need to go back to that and with Ben Hunt unavailable through injury then Kurt Mann, a genuine utility, is the obvious bench choice.
Cameron Munster at five-eighth for the Maroons was below par in Origin I as well, but Munster is 30 and DCE 36. It would make no sense to give Munster the flick instead of DCE.
And Munster has that ad-lib ability to create try-scoring opportunities out of nothing, which the Maroons desperately need to cling on to at the moment.
Queensland haven't scored a try in a 13-against-13 situation against NSW in the last two Origins - game three last year, when their four points came from penalty goals, and the most recent game when their only try came when the Blues had a player in the sin bin.
How well someone like DCE might play at club level between Origins doesn't really matter now. It's how he fared, and as an older player, in Origin I that counts.
DCE has been a great player, but he's not going to get better. The big challenge for a player at his age is just to try to hold his form.
It's got to be Dearden at No.7, busier and playing more direct and threatening than DCE did in Origin I, and the Maroons must also consider others who can be more troubling to the defence such as Selwyn Cobbo on the wing instead of Valentine Holmes.
Corey Horsburgh is also worth a recall to Origin in the forwards. His form this season has been right in line with his Canberra team's form as a whole and they've earned their spot near the top of the NRL table.
Queensland need to find more aggression after being beaten in the forwards in game one and Horsburgh would bring that.
Slater is a deep thinker and he will have run through the various team-choice scenarios a thousand times in his mind before the Maroons team for game two at Optus Stadium in Perth on June 18 is named after this weekend's NRL round.
MORE NRL NEWS
He has talked openly about change being necessary, but has stressed it can come through a better approach and increased discipline from existing players as well as it might through personnel changes.
There will be personnel changes though. There can't not be. They'll just probably be kept to a minimum.
During his time as Queensland coach Slater hasn't given any indications he's a sentimentalist, so if he sticks with DCE he would have to genuinely believe the veteran can turn it around. I just think it's time for Dearden to be handed the keys to the side.
Canberra will be playing for the competition lead when they meet South Sydney on Sunday.
The Raiders are only two competition points and two differential points behind leaders Canterbury and the Bulldogs have already had two byes while Canberra are the only team still not to have had any.
If they win and go top of the table it might only last 24 hours since Canterbury play Parramatta at Homebush on Monday, but it would still be fun!
I'd hate to put the mock on the Raiders, but I don't see this as a game the Rabbitohs - even with the return of a couple of key players in Cody Walker and ex-Raider Jack Wighton - can win.
Souths' defence doesn't do enough to support their attack. They lose intensity and concentration at vital stages of games and that makes it much harder for them to win. They have to rely too much on trying to string together big plays in a hurry.
Canberra are a terrific all-round team. It'll be another good test for them, because they'll have to hold their nerve if Souths pull it together in attack, but if they keep going the way they've been going they should be fine.
I'm not going to predict Brisbane will end their poor recent run of form by beating last-placed Gold Coast on Saturday night.
I'm not going to say anything. I don't know what the hell's wrong with them, but it's fascinating to watch and wonder if they'll ever come good again.
Now is the time for Queensland coach Billy Slater to end the State of Origin career of veteran halfback and Maroons captain Daly Cherry-Evans.
Cherry-Evans chose to remain available for Origin this year rather than retire from representative football and that was his right, but he did so at the risk of eventually having the decision made for him and that risk is now huge.
It's not just about Queensland's 18-6 loss to NSW in game one and DCE's poor form in that match. It's about what needs to be done with the overall make-up of the team.
Picking Tom Dearden on the bench is pointless. He must either be in the starting side or not in the 17 at all. He's not a genuine back-up hooker and to be there to cover for the halves is a luxury the Maroons can't afford.
Dearden proved himself as a starter for Queensland and Australia last year and was the form halves player among Queenslanders heading into Origin game one this year.
It was a big mistake by Slater to leave him out of the starting side for that game. He should've been the halfback, with DCE left out altogether.
Queensland have had success in recent years with the formula of picking two hookers in their 17. They need to go back to that and with Ben Hunt unavailable through injury then Kurt Mann, a genuine utility, is the obvious bench choice.
Cameron Munster at five-eighth for the Maroons was below par in Origin I as well, but Munster is 30 and DCE 36. It would make no sense to give Munster the flick instead of DCE.
And Munster has that ad-lib ability to create try-scoring opportunities out of nothing, which the Maroons desperately need to cling on to at the moment.
Queensland haven't scored a try in a 13-against-13 situation against NSW in the last two Origins - game three last year, when their four points came from penalty goals, and the most recent game when their only try came when the Blues had a player in the sin bin.
How well someone like DCE might play at club level between Origins doesn't really matter now. It's how he fared, and as an older player, in Origin I that counts.
DCE has been a great player, but he's not going to get better. The big challenge for a player at his age is just to try to hold his form.
It's got to be Dearden at No.7, busier and playing more direct and threatening than DCE did in Origin I, and the Maroons must also consider others who can be more troubling to the defence such as Selwyn Cobbo on the wing instead of Valentine Holmes.
Corey Horsburgh is also worth a recall to Origin in the forwards. His form this season has been right in line with his Canberra team's form as a whole and they've earned their spot near the top of the NRL table.
Queensland need to find more aggression after being beaten in the forwards in game one and Horsburgh would bring that.
Slater is a deep thinker and he will have run through the various team-choice scenarios a thousand times in his mind before the Maroons team for game two at Optus Stadium in Perth on June 18 is named after this weekend's NRL round.
MORE NRL NEWS
He has talked openly about change being necessary, but has stressed it can come through a better approach and increased discipline from existing players as well as it might through personnel changes.
There will be personnel changes though. There can't not be. They'll just probably be kept to a minimum.
During his time as Queensland coach Slater hasn't given any indications he's a sentimentalist, so if he sticks with DCE he would have to genuinely believe the veteran can turn it around. I just think it's time for Dearden to be handed the keys to the side.
Canberra will be playing for the competition lead when they meet South Sydney on Sunday.
The Raiders are only two competition points and two differential points behind leaders Canterbury and the Bulldogs have already had two byes while Canberra are the only team still not to have had any.
If they win and go top of the table it might only last 24 hours since Canterbury play Parramatta at Homebush on Monday, but it would still be fun!
I'd hate to put the mock on the Raiders, but I don't see this as a game the Rabbitohs - even with the return of a couple of key players in Cody Walker and ex-Raider Jack Wighton - can win.
Souths' defence doesn't do enough to support their attack. They lose intensity and concentration at vital stages of games and that makes it much harder for them to win. They have to rely too much on trying to string together big plays in a hurry.
Canberra are a terrific all-round team. It'll be another good test for them, because they'll have to hold their nerve if Souths pull it together in attack, but if they keep going the way they've been going they should be fine.
I'm not going to predict Brisbane will end their poor recent run of form by beating last-placed Gold Coast on Saturday night.
I'm not going to say anything. I don't know what the hell's wrong with them, but it's fascinating to watch and wonder if they'll ever come good again.
Now is the time for Queensland coach Billy Slater to end the State of Origin career of veteran halfback and Maroons captain Daly Cherry-Evans.
Cherry-Evans chose to remain available for Origin this year rather than retire from representative football and that was his right, but he did so at the risk of eventually having the decision made for him and that risk is now huge.
It's not just about Queensland's 18-6 loss to NSW in game one and DCE's poor form in that match. It's about what needs to be done with the overall make-up of the team.
Picking Tom Dearden on the bench is pointless. He must either be in the starting side or not in the 17 at all. He's not a genuine back-up hooker and to be there to cover for the halves is a luxury the Maroons can't afford.
Dearden proved himself as a starter for Queensland and Australia last year and was the form halves player among Queenslanders heading into Origin game one this year.
It was a big mistake by Slater to leave him out of the starting side for that game. He should've been the halfback, with DCE left out altogether.
Queensland have had success in recent years with the formula of picking two hookers in their 17. They need to go back to that and with Ben Hunt unavailable through injury then Kurt Mann, a genuine utility, is the obvious bench choice.
Cameron Munster at five-eighth for the Maroons was below par in Origin I as well, but Munster is 30 and DCE 36. It would make no sense to give Munster the flick instead of DCE.
And Munster has that ad-lib ability to create try-scoring opportunities out of nothing, which the Maroons desperately need to cling on to at the moment.
Queensland haven't scored a try in a 13-against-13 situation against NSW in the last two Origins - game three last year, when their four points came from penalty goals, and the most recent game when their only try came when the Blues had a player in the sin bin.
How well someone like DCE might play at club level between Origins doesn't really matter now. It's how he fared, and as an older player, in Origin I that counts.
DCE has been a great player, but he's not going to get better. The big challenge for a player at his age is just to try to hold his form.
It's got to be Dearden at No.7, busier and playing more direct and threatening than DCE did in Origin I, and the Maroons must also consider others who can be more troubling to the defence such as Selwyn Cobbo on the wing instead of Valentine Holmes.
Corey Horsburgh is also worth a recall to Origin in the forwards. His form this season has been right in line with his Canberra team's form as a whole and they've earned their spot near the top of the NRL table.
Queensland need to find more aggression after being beaten in the forwards in game one and Horsburgh would bring that.
Slater is a deep thinker and he will have run through the various team-choice scenarios a thousand times in his mind before the Maroons team for game two at Optus Stadium in Perth on June 18 is named after this weekend's NRL round.
MORE NRL NEWS
He has talked openly about change being necessary, but has stressed it can come through a better approach and increased discipline from existing players as well as it might through personnel changes.
There will be personnel changes though. There can't not be. They'll just probably be kept to a minimum.
During his time as Queensland coach Slater hasn't given any indications he's a sentimentalist, so if he sticks with DCE he would have to genuinely believe the veteran can turn it around. I just think it's time for Dearden to be handed the keys to the side.
Canberra will be playing for the competition lead when they meet South Sydney on Sunday.
The Raiders are only two competition points and two differential points behind leaders Canterbury and the Bulldogs have already had two byes while Canberra are the only team still not to have had any.
If they win and go top of the table it might only last 24 hours since Canterbury play Parramatta at Homebush on Monday, but it would still be fun!
I'd hate to put the mock on the Raiders, but I don't see this as a game the Rabbitohs - even with the return of a couple of key players in Cody Walker and ex-Raider Jack Wighton - can win.
Souths' defence doesn't do enough to support their attack. They lose intensity and concentration at vital stages of games and that makes it much harder for them to win. They have to rely too much on trying to string together big plays in a hurry.
Canberra are a terrific all-round team. It'll be another good test for them, because they'll have to hold their nerve if Souths pull it together in attack, but if they keep going the way they've been going they should be fine.
I'm not going to predict Brisbane will end their poor recent run of form by beating last-placed Gold Coast on Saturday night.
I'm not going to say anything. I don't know what the hell's wrong with them, but it's fascinating to watch and wonder if they'll ever come good again.
Now is the time for Queensland coach Billy Slater to end the State of Origin career of veteran halfback and Maroons captain Daly Cherry-Evans.
Cherry-Evans chose to remain available for Origin this year rather than retire from representative football and that was his right, but he did so at the risk of eventually having the decision made for him and that risk is now huge.
It's not just about Queensland's 18-6 loss to NSW in game one and DCE's poor form in that match. It's about what needs to be done with the overall make-up of the team.
Picking Tom Dearden on the bench is pointless. He must either be in the starting side or not in the 17 at all. He's not a genuine back-up hooker and to be there to cover for the halves is a luxury the Maroons can't afford.
Dearden proved himself as a starter for Queensland and Australia last year and was the form halves player among Queenslanders heading into Origin game one this year.
It was a big mistake by Slater to leave him out of the starting side for that game. He should've been the halfback, with DCE left out altogether.
Queensland have had success in recent years with the formula of picking two hookers in their 17. They need to go back to that and with Ben Hunt unavailable through injury then Kurt Mann, a genuine utility, is the obvious bench choice.
Cameron Munster at five-eighth for the Maroons was below par in Origin I as well, but Munster is 30 and DCE 36. It would make no sense to give Munster the flick instead of DCE.
And Munster has that ad-lib ability to create try-scoring opportunities out of nothing, which the Maroons desperately need to cling on to at the moment.
Queensland haven't scored a try in a 13-against-13 situation against NSW in the last two Origins - game three last year, when their four points came from penalty goals, and the most recent game when their only try came when the Blues had a player in the sin bin.
How well someone like DCE might play at club level between Origins doesn't really matter now. It's how he fared, and as an older player, in Origin I that counts.
DCE has been a great player, but he's not going to get better. The big challenge for a player at his age is just to try to hold his form.
It's got to be Dearden at No.7, busier and playing more direct and threatening than DCE did in Origin I, and the Maroons must also consider others who can be more troubling to the defence such as Selwyn Cobbo on the wing instead of Valentine Holmes.
Corey Horsburgh is also worth a recall to Origin in the forwards. His form this season has been right in line with his Canberra team's form as a whole and they've earned their spot near the top of the NRL table.
Queensland need to find more aggression after being beaten in the forwards in game one and Horsburgh would bring that.
Slater is a deep thinker and he will have run through the various team-choice scenarios a thousand times in his mind before the Maroons team for game two at Optus Stadium in Perth on June 18 is named after this weekend's NRL round.
MORE NRL NEWS
He has talked openly about change being necessary, but has stressed it can come through a better approach and increased discipline from existing players as well as it might through personnel changes.
There will be personnel changes though. There can't not be. They'll just probably be kept to a minimum.
During his time as Queensland coach Slater hasn't given any indications he's a sentimentalist, so if he sticks with DCE he would have to genuinely believe the veteran can turn it around. I just think it's time for Dearden to be handed the keys to the side.
Canberra will be playing for the competition lead when they meet South Sydney on Sunday.
The Raiders are only two competition points and two differential points behind leaders Canterbury and the Bulldogs have already had two byes while Canberra are the only team still not to have had any.
If they win and go top of the table it might only last 24 hours since Canterbury play Parramatta at Homebush on Monday, but it would still be fun!
I'd hate to put the mock on the Raiders, but I don't see this as a game the Rabbitohs - even with the return of a couple of key players in Cody Walker and ex-Raider Jack Wighton - can win.
Souths' defence doesn't do enough to support their attack. They lose intensity and concentration at vital stages of games and that makes it much harder for them to win. They have to rely too much on trying to string together big plays in a hurry.
Canberra are a terrific all-round team. It'll be another good test for them, because they'll have to hold their nerve if Souths pull it together in attack, but if they keep going the way they've been going they should be fine.
I'm not going to predict Brisbane will end their poor recent run of form by beating last-placed Gold Coast on Saturday night.
I'm not going to say anything. I don't know what the hell's wrong with them, but it's fascinating to watch and wonder if they'll ever come good again.