DCE future not a distraction for Manly: Trbojevic
Manly star Tom Trbojevic insists Daly Cherry-Evans has earned the right to push out an announcement on 2026, with the halfback making clear no call is coming "any time soon".
Cherry-Evans refused to say on Friday night where he stood on next season, three months after announcing this year would be his 15th and last at Manly.
In the time since Cherry-Evans' announcement, Manly have been guilty of going from genuine contenders to fighting to keep pace with the NRL's top eight.
That had prompted external claims the Cherry-Evans announcement had destabilised the Sea Eagles' season, a point rejected by coach Anthony Seibold.
Cherry-Evans addressed Manly players and staff when it was his turn to lead a "campfire" chat in recent weeks, and has been assured his future is not a distraction.
"I've been comfortable with it since day dot," Trbojevic said on Friday night after Manly's pressure-relieving 28-10 win over Wests Tigers.
"He's come and he's openly said what he wants to do and he's entitled to do that.
"He doesn't need to tell me that he's still doing this and this is why he's doing that. Because we're here to play footy and that's the focus.
"Obviously, I was shocked when I heard the news (in March). I thought Cherry was going to be at this club his whole career. So, that was a shock.
"But we're out here doing our job and what he's doing next year is not going to affect me doing my job and he's entitled to that.
"He's played footy for long enough to make decisions on his own terms and it is what it is."
Cherry-Evans had reiterated last month he planned to play into 2026, with the motivation "definitely there" and a deal to come "when the time is right".
At the time the halfback had indicated he would wait until after State of Origin to confirm his plans, before he was ultimately dropped by Queensland for game two.
Trbojevic also still expects Cherry-Evans to play on next year, believing the No.7 is performing well enough to do so.
As things stand, the 36-year-old is widely expected to end up at the Sydney Roosters.
"There won't be anything happening soon, I dare say," Cherry-Evans said when asked if he was close to announcing his next move.
"We've spoken about it as a team, we definitely don't feel it (my future) is a distraction.
Asked whether he was second guessing a decision on whether to play on, Cherry-Evans was coy in his response.
"So we don't go down a rabbit hole, I'll clarify it one more time," Cherry-Evans responded.
"I've made the decision (in March) so Manly were aware, and so I could afford myself the freedom to make a choice that was best for me next year.
"When I do make that announcement it will be because it's the best situation for me and my future.
"The most important thing is how we play this year."
Manly star Tom Trbojevic insists Daly Cherry-Evans has earned the right to push out an announcement on 2026, with the halfback making clear no call is coming "any time soon".
Cherry-Evans refused to say on Friday night where he stood on next season, three months after announcing this year would be his 15th and last at Manly.
In the time since Cherry-Evans' announcement, Manly have been guilty of going from genuine contenders to fighting to keep pace with the NRL's top eight.
That had prompted external claims the Cherry-Evans announcement had destabilised the Sea Eagles' season, a point rejected by coach Anthony Seibold.
Cherry-Evans addressed Manly players and staff when it was his turn to lead a "campfire" chat in recent weeks, and has been assured his future is not a distraction.
"I've been comfortable with it since day dot," Trbojevic said on Friday night after Manly's pressure-relieving 28-10 win over Wests Tigers.
"He's come and he's openly said what he wants to do and he's entitled to do that.
"He doesn't need to tell me that he's still doing this and this is why he's doing that. Because we're here to play footy and that's the focus.
"Obviously, I was shocked when I heard the news (in March). I thought Cherry was going to be at this club his whole career. So, that was a shock.
"But we're out here doing our job and what he's doing next year is not going to affect me doing my job and he's entitled to that.
"He's played footy for long enough to make decisions on his own terms and it is what it is."
Cherry-Evans had reiterated last month he planned to play into 2026, with the motivation "definitely there" and a deal to come "when the time is right".
At the time the halfback had indicated he would wait until after State of Origin to confirm his plans, before he was ultimately dropped by Queensland for game two.
Trbojevic also still expects Cherry-Evans to play on next year, believing the No.7 is performing well enough to do so.
As things stand, the 36-year-old is widely expected to end up at the Sydney Roosters.
"There won't be anything happening soon, I dare say," Cherry-Evans said when asked if he was close to announcing his next move.
"We've spoken about it as a team, we definitely don't feel it (my future) is a distraction.
Asked whether he was second guessing a decision on whether to play on, Cherry-Evans was coy in his response.
"So we don't go down a rabbit hole, I'll clarify it one more time," Cherry-Evans responded.
"I've made the decision (in March) so Manly were aware, and so I could afford myself the freedom to make a choice that was best for me next year.
"When I do make that announcement it will be because it's the best situation for me and my future.
"The most important thing is how we play this year."
Manly star Tom Trbojevic insists Daly Cherry-Evans has earned the right to push out an announcement on 2026, with the halfback making clear no call is coming "any time soon".
Cherry-Evans refused to say on Friday night where he stood on next season, three months after announcing this year would be his 15th and last at Manly.
In the time since Cherry-Evans' announcement, Manly have been guilty of going from genuine contenders to fighting to keep pace with the NRL's top eight.
That had prompted external claims the Cherry-Evans announcement had destabilised the Sea Eagles' season, a point rejected by coach Anthony Seibold.
Cherry-Evans addressed Manly players and staff when it was his turn to lead a "campfire" chat in recent weeks, and has been assured his future is not a distraction.
"I've been comfortable with it since day dot," Trbojevic said on Friday night after Manly's pressure-relieving 28-10 win over Wests Tigers.
"He's come and he's openly said what he wants to do and he's entitled to do that.
"He doesn't need to tell me that he's still doing this and this is why he's doing that. Because we're here to play footy and that's the focus.
"Obviously, I was shocked when I heard the news (in March). I thought Cherry was going to be at this club his whole career. So, that was a shock.
"But we're out here doing our job and what he's doing next year is not going to affect me doing my job and he's entitled to that.
"He's played footy for long enough to make decisions on his own terms and it is what it is."
Cherry-Evans had reiterated last month he planned to play into 2026, with the motivation "definitely there" and a deal to come "when the time is right".
At the time the halfback had indicated he would wait until after State of Origin to confirm his plans, before he was ultimately dropped by Queensland for game two.
Trbojevic also still expects Cherry-Evans to play on next year, believing the No.7 is performing well enough to do so.
As things stand, the 36-year-old is widely expected to end up at the Sydney Roosters.
"There won't be anything happening soon, I dare say," Cherry-Evans said when asked if he was close to announcing his next move.
"We've spoken about it as a team, we definitely don't feel it (my future) is a distraction.
Asked whether he was second guessing a decision on whether to play on, Cherry-Evans was coy in his response.
"So we don't go down a rabbit hole, I'll clarify it one more time," Cherry-Evans responded.
"I've made the decision (in March) so Manly were aware, and so I could afford myself the freedom to make a choice that was best for me next year.
"When I do make that announcement it will be because it's the best situation for me and my future.
"The most important thing is how we play this year."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Former NRL star Kevin Proctor suffers sickening KO by social media influencer at RUNIT event in Dubai
Former NRL veteran and 22 Test Kiwis forward Kevin Proctor was sensationally knocked out in scary scenes by social media influencer Jordan Simi at RUNIT 02 in Dubai overnight. The pair took part in an exhibition run it straight challenge at the big-money event early on Sunday morning, Australian time. In footage posted to social media, Proctor, who is defending, drives his right shoulder into the ball-carrying Simi. But the former Melbourne Storm and Gold Coast Titans backrower comes off second best, as he spins in the air after contact and lands heavily on the ground. Proctor appears to be knocked out as he hits the floor, with his arms and legs going stiff in sickening scenes. A small crew of medics and officials rush to the 36-year-old's side as he struggles to sit back up. A former lower grade rugby league player, Simi is also an artist and has become a social media influencer. He also stepped into the boxing ring opposite Justin Hodges in 2022, losing a four-round unanimous decision. Proctor played 283 NRL games for the Storm and Titans in a 15-year footy career. He was sacked by the Titans after he posted a video to his Instagram story of himself vaping in the toilets during the halftime break of the Titans' loss to the Bulldogs in 2022. Proctor wasn't playing, but was 19th man when he captioned the video: 'Not the halftime vape'. He quickly deleted it, but was soon released by the Titans. One of the most controversial new combat sports on the planet, RUNIT staged its second event in Dubai, just a month after a New Zealand teenager died after playing a run it straight style game with friends. RUNIT and its deep-pocketed investors and sponsors flew eight athletes to Dubai, with $200,000 on offer for first place, while second took home $50,000 and third prize was $25,000.
News.com.au
4 hours ago
- News.com.au
Crown witness in case against paedophile ring found in shallow grave
When NRL great Ian Roberts, then known as one of the best front-rowers in the world, first met Arron Light, the latter was just nine years old. In that moment, he could never have predicted that less than a decade later, Aaron would be discovered in a shallow grave, the victim of a brutal murder that to this day remains unsolved. 'I was living in Camperdown in Sydney at the time, and he was in the children's hospital nearby,' he told Gary Jubelin's I Catch Killers podcast. 'He was being treated for complications to do with a knee surgery, and he'd been in hospital for quite some time.' Roberts, who had gone in for a visit as part of his NRL team's outreach program, was taken by the young child's sense of humour and wisdom beyond his years. 'He began poking fun at all the players, saying we were only coming to visit for publicity, having a bit of fun,' he recalls fondly, 'he was a cheeky little kid.' Roberts, who jokingly told Arron he'd come back and visit 'just to annoy you,' struck up a friendship with the boy over the following weeks. 'He was in hospital for at least a few months,' he recalls, 'and over that time I'd pop in every couple of weeks to say G'day.' Over the coming years, Roberts became something of a mentor to Arron, who he'd check in with periodically. Then, in the mid-nineties, by which stage Arron was a young teen, Roberts bumped into him on the street, and learned he'd been sleeping rough in Kings Cross. Keen to help Arron get back on his feet, Roberts would invite him to NRL matches and meet up with the teenager regularly – eventually allowing him to move into his home. 'One night he rang me – he was very upset,' the sportsman recalls, 'I asked him where he was – he was in his squat in Bondi, and it was not good. I just told him: 'grab your stuff mate, you can come and live with us for a while.' We had a spare bedroom, and I was with my partner Shane, so we kind of just decided he could stay with us as long as he went to school.' Over the coming months, Roberts tried to provide Arron with more stability – insisting he kept in touch with his parents, training with him in the gym and offering a positive example of authority in his life. Roberts, who had recently come out as gay, was aware that the presence of a young teen in his life may attract suspicion. 'He knew I was gay, and he had no problem with me or my partner,' says Roberts, 'but I was very keen for him to keep in touch with his parents, so his parents knew everything that was going on. What people struggle to understand was that it wasn't just an act of kindness – this young guy was actually my friend.' For a while, things seemed to be going well in the young teen's life, who'd get up and catch two buses to school at Vaucluse High each morning. Then, Roberts got a phone call from police. 'They told me that the house had been under surveillance, and my head was spinning.' Police explained that Arron had been seen going into suspected pedophiles' houses before coming to live with Roberts. They told him 'that's how he'd been supporting himself.' 'And this put you in a difficult situation,' suggests Jubelin. 'I'd just come out,' explains Roberts, 'I was worried that people were going to surmise what they think had happened.' Police, who had quickly cleared Ian as a suspect, asked him to try and convince Arron to make a formal statement about the pedophiles who had abused him. Roberts, who was plagued by worry about how his friendship with Arron would be perceived, encouraged him to co-operate with police. He says it's one of his biggest regrets. 'I wish so much that I'd just told them to leave him alone, that he was happy and doing well and didn't need to go back and talk about all that stuff. I honestly think if I'd done that, he'd still be alive now.' Shortly after convincing Arron to work with police to expose the alleged pedophile ring he'd been a victim of, Roberts was offered a contract in Townsville, and moved away. Aaron, who was hurt and angry at the distance Roberts had put between them, went rapidly downhill. The last time Roberts heard his voice, it was 1997. 'I got a phone call from a policeman telling me that Arron had been arrested again for stealing,' he says. 'And he wouldn't talk to police, the only person he'd talk to was me. So they phoned me up and put him on and I was trying to calm him down. But he was screaming and he was angry at me by that stage as well. He was entitled to be that way. It just felt like he was alone. He was saying that stuff. He was seeing a lawyer I'd put him in touch with, and I just … I just tried to convince him to co-operate with the police. He disappeared three days later. He was due to give evidence [against the alleged pedophile ring] three days later, and he just never showed up in court.' It would be another five years until Arron's body was found. Believed to have been stabbed, his bones were discovered by construction workers digging a trench along the Alexandria canal in St Peters. 'It's awful, even the way they discovered that it was Arron,' continues Roberts, 'It was the knee. His knee, because he had such complications when I first met him in hospital, his knee had become quite deformed. It was like a bulbous type of thing. That's how they discovered it was him.' An inquest into Arron's death found there was insufficient evidence to charge anyone with Arron's murder. NSW deputy state coroner Jacqueline Milledge presided over the inquest into Arron's death. She concluded that 17-year-old Arron died between September 12 and September 18, 1997, in an unknown Sydney location. 'The cause of death is multiple stab wounds,' she said. 'The manner of death is homicide by a person or persons unknown. 'At the time of his death, Arron Light was 17-years-old and was a Crown witness in an impending district court trial.' For Roberts, the pain of Arron's loss, as well as the guilt that plagues him, are wounds that will never heal. 'Regret's not a big enough word,' he tells Gary Jubelin sadly, 'but I just know now that I really let him down.' 'I thought I was okay with this,' he continues, clearly emotional, 'but just talking about it now, it's just like I really let him down. From the person he trusted, he loved me, he so respected me and cared about me. I just let him down.'
News.com.au
4 hours ago
- News.com.au
‘Splat!': Tom Trbojevic cops a huge Wests Tigers hit in brutal act
Prior to Friday night's 18-point win over the Wests Tigers, Manly superstar Tom Trbojevic said he was 'excited' at the prospect of playing in the centres for just the second time since 2017. One of the great fullbacks in the modern game, 'Turbo' was shifted to right centre by Sea Eagles coach Anthony Seibold to allow Lehi Hopoate to move into the No. 1 jumper. 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. While the home side got the job done 28-10 at 4 Pines Park, just 11 minutes in the 28-year-old Trbojevic may have been regretting the decision to be so accommodating. With Manly attacking the Tigers' line, Daly Cherry-Evans found Hopoate, who moved the ball to Trbojevic as the home team chased the game's first points. But Tigers winger Jeral Skelton had other ideas, lining Trbojevic up and landing a crunching tackle that brought everyone watching out of their seats. Watch the big hit in the video player above 'Oh Tom! Tom has caught a beauty there,' Andrew Voss screamed on Fox League. 'Jeral Skelton, he's knocked himself about but he's taken out the main man. Call him the sniper.' Cooper Cronk added: 'Skelton has launched himself into Tom Trbojevic, rattles the cage of the Manly centre. 'I think he's also rattled himself because he's come up ginger. That was a big shot.' Voss then followed up: 'It was Kamikaze-like. I don't know if I've seen Tom get hit like that in his career. 'Welcome to the centres Tom.' While a sore Trbojevic was able to battle on, Skelton did indeed come off second best, with the independent doctor calling for a category 2 Head Injury Assessment test. But plenty of footy fans took to social media to comment on the brutal hit. The NRL News account on X wrote: 'Jeral Skelton puts a bellringer on Tommy Turbo but he's the one that has to come off for a HIA.' Sports journalist Lachlan Jeffery tweeted: 'That was a Kamikaze tackle by Jeral Skelton.' Señor Mick offered simply: 'SPLAT!!!!' Others were left questioning the decision to shift the injury-prone Trbojevic from his favoured position. Racing reporter Neil Evans declared: 'What a ridiculous decision to play Turbo in the centres!! 'Give him some freedom' Spoonbold said thru the week .. ffs there's 10 times more freedom at the back. Lol.' X account @OGHustle_Rugby asked: 'You'd stick Turbo on the wing or FB wouldn't you?? Let's play Mr Injury in the centres. Nice one you knuckles.' In a poor first half of footy, the Sea Eagles finally cracked the Tigers' tryline in the final minute and Turbo was heavily involved. With all the play down the left side of the field, Manly was repeatedly repelled by Wests' defensive line. 'Tom's getting a cold out at right centre,' Voss quipped. 'He's watching on with binoculars.' On the last tackle, Trbojevic finally got his chance, taking a cut-out ball from Luke Brooks and laying off a superb flick pass to Jason Saab who did the rest, scoring in the corner. 'Tom offloads to Saab, finally Tom gets a touch, and it's a golden one for the first try in the final minute of the opening half,' Voss said. Reuben Garrick nailed the sideline conversion for a 6-0 lead at the break. Leading up to the game, Trbojevic conceded he had no idea whether his move to centre would be permanent. Trbojevic's yardage has been solid in recent weeks, but he'd broken just five tackles in his past six games leading into Friday night after busting 83 in 20 matches last season. 'I had a lot of input from the coaches, but we've got someone like Lehi there who's very good at fullback,' Trbojevic said on Monday. 'I'm not unfamiliar with playing centre, I've done it before. It'll be a different challenge for me and one I'm excited for. 'It (the move) wasn't really on my mind, but the way that Lehi has been playing (made it easier) and I haven't been playing my best footy. 'It is what it is. I just love playing footy, and playing centre is something else on a footy field and it's no different to me. I just have to go out there and give it a go.' He may have had second thoughts after Skelton's crunching tackle, but he ran out the half well and looms as a key figure in the second 40 minutes. Manly then took control of the match after halftime, building a 16-0 lead with 30 minutes remaining. Benji Marshall's Tigers briefly had some momentum after Alex Seyfarth's 51st minute try, but the Sea Eagles regained control to record a comfortable win.
