DCE expected to be dropped for Origin II
NRL: Queensland captain and halfback Daly Cherry-Evans is reportedly set to be dropped by the Maroons for State of Origin Game 2.
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News.com.au
15 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Jett Stanley out to make late grandad proud with Stradbroke Handicap victory
Jett Stanley reckons his late grandfather Jimmy will be smiling up in heaven if the Victorian jockey can win the Stradbroke Handicap. Stanley, 21, will fly up to Brisbane on Monday night in the hope that The Instructor can make the field for the $3m Stradbroke (1400m) at Eagle Farm on Saturday. The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott -trained gelding is currently No.29 in the ballot but has a slim chance of making the field given the attrition rate, with star horses such as Joliestar and Giga Kick to skip Queensland's most prestigious race. Stanley has only ridden in one Group 1 race, last year's The Metropolitan (2400m) at Randwick in October when he finished 14th on Immediacy, more than 10 lengths behind the winner Land Legend. 'It's what every jockey dreams about,' he said on Monday about potentially winning his first major. 'I've always wanted to win a Group 1, ever since I was a five-year-old kid and to be able to do it in the Stradbroke would be an unreal feeling. 'My late grandfather Jimmy always wanted me to win a Group 1 but he felt it had to be the Stradbroke. 'I don't know why, he never really told us, but to possibly have the opportunity is a great thrill in itself, especially for great trainers like Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott. 'Jimmy was a jockey around the Gundagai area and won metro races in Sydney. 'He'd be up there in heaven cheering me on and everyone in my family will be watching, we're a massive racing family.' Stanley's father Brent saluted in the 1996 Caulfield Cup as a teen jockey on Arctic Scent and won the race as a trainer, while Jett's mother Paris's dad Terry Millard was also a trainer. The young hoop, who started his career in Perth under trainers Grant and Alana Williams, remembers getting paid 50 cents for cleaning out a stable during school holidays at age eight. Stanley ended his apprenticeship in April when he rode The Instructor to victory in the Listed Hareeba Stakes (1200m) at Mornington. He was aboard the gelding for his third placing in the Wagga Town Plate early last month before Adam Hyeronimus steered the galloper to victory in his last start, the Listed Luskin Star Stakes at Scone on May 17. 'Quietly, I do give him a sneaky chance,' Stanley said if The Instructor happens to land a run in the Stradbroke. 'He tries his heart out for me, no matter what race he's in and I can't be happier with all the reports that I'm getting from Queensland.' Bott has his fingers crossed that his rising star The Instructor can sneak into the Stradbroke field, adamant the four-year-old is in 'career-best form'. 'He'll get a nice light weight (52kg) and he's in the right time of his career to take advantage of it,' Bott said. 'He's deep into the prep and he's holding up with career-best form. 'Coming up to a high-pressure handicap where he's got a light weight, I think that would suit really well. 'That trip (1400m) is probably right in his sweet spot where he can be most effective.'
News.com.au
30 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Billy Slater opens up on phone call with Daly Cherry-Evans... and responds to scapegoat claim
Maroons coach Billy Slater has explained the decision to drop Daly Cherry-Evans, while opening up on the phone call where he delivered the hard news to his former teammate. FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. Queensland announced its 20-man squad for the must-win game at Perth on Monday, with Slater confirming the Maroons would reveal their final team on Tuesday. While the make-up of that side remains to be seen, one thing that is certain is that Cherry-Evans will not feature while Beau Fermor was the other Maroons player to miss out. Tom Dearden will come into the team to replace Cherry-Evans while the versatile Kurt Capewell is expected to join the 17 and potentially push into the starting side. Speaking to reporters on Monday morning, Slater as expected didn't offer too much detail on exactly why Cherry-Evans was left out of the squad but said Dearden had 'earned the opportunity' to take over as halfback. 'We don't take any decision lightly, whether it's a player keeping their spot or another player coming in. All Queenslanders are considered,' Slater explained. 'We just feel Tom is the right person for the number seven jersey right now. First of all, you won't hear a negative word from me about Daly Cherry-Evans. 'What he has given this jersey and what he has done for this footy team and this group, that will be with all Queenslanders and with Daly for the rest of his life. 'No one can take that away from him. We just feel that Tom Dearden has earned the opportunity to play in the number seven jersey.' Slater called Cherry-Evans on Sunday to let him know he had been dropped and said the veteran halfback 'took the news with great character and great respect'. 'Obviously Daly wanted to play and he was disappointed that he wasn't going to get the opportunity,' added Slater, who played alongside Cherry-Evans during his Origin career. 'We had a good conversation and we have a great relationship. I have played along Daly, and I've been the coach and he has been the captain over the last four years. We have shared some great memories and he has done some really good things. 'They are tough conversations but it was one that was had with a lot of respect.' Slater, meanwhile, dismissed any suggestions that Cherry-Evans was a scapegoat for Queensland's Game 1 loss, especially considering the forward pack struggled to give him a platform to play off. 'Well, it's not the case,' he said. 'It's just a case of the best person for the position. I'm sure people have their opinion. I'm sure you'll have your opinion on it. It is what it is. 'At the end of the day, when you're in this position to make decisions you've got to think (of) what the best thing is for the footy team and that is what we thought.' There are some question marks over the make-up of Queensland's new-look halves pairing considering Cherry-Evans had been the dominant kicking option when in the squad while both Dearden and Munster are naturally run-first players. Dearden has been developing in clubland as more of a traditional halfback following Chad Townsend's departure, but Slater also said that the Cowboys playmaker will 'get a bit of help' when asked whether the 24-year-old can take control in the Origin arena. 'There are some good players in and around him,' added Slater. Cherry-Evans' omission also leaves Slater with a leadership void and the Maroons coach said the new Queensland captain would be announced on Tuesday, with Harry Grant and Tino Fa'asuamaleaui expected to be among the leading candidates. 'We've got quite a few club captains,' Slater said. 'Quite a few leaders within the footy team, so I feel whenever you play for the Queensland team you're a leader in your own right anyway, no matter how old you are or what you've done in the past. 'Whoever is named captain, they're going to get a fair bit of support from the leaders around him.'
The Age
an hour ago
- The Age
Maroons winners and losers: Will Slater's decisions save the series?
Queensland Maroons coach Billy Slater has denied he was tempted to issue an SOS to Canberra enforcer Josh Papali'i, declaring he already had the troops to inspire a State of Origin boilover. Papali'i retired from representative rugby league on the eve of the 2023 series after earning 23 Origin caps, but on Sunday proved he still had the mettle to lead a pack. In becoming the most capped Raider of all time against South Sydney, the 33-year-old scored twice and ran for 81 metres and five tackle busts, while his coach Ricky Stuart lauded his leadership as key to their top of the table ascent. The Maroons are still missing Thomas Flegler (shoulder) and Tom Gilbert (pectoral) to injury, while captaincy contender Tino Fa'asuamaleaui heads into game two in Perth with a sternum concern. New South Wales won game one through the middle, as an engine room led by Payne Haas ran rampant to finish with 124 more post-contact metres and 30 extra tackle-busts than their rivals. Loading But Slater was emphatic in that the squad assembled could save the series. 'No, no I haven't,' Slater said, when asked if he had discussed a comeback with Papali'i. 'There are quite a few things we didn't get right, and that's what we'll go over in the first couple of days. Then it's up to the players to go out there in that 80 minutes and deliver that, but that [the forwards battle] is certainly one area.
