'Pretty excited': Manly legend happy for Cherry-Evans to jump ship to NRL rivals
They are the next-Gen playmakers ready to fill the huge void left by Cherry-Evans when he finally departs Brookvale. The veteran halfback has indicated he may play on in 2026 but is undecided whether that will be at Manly or elsewhere.
Either way, champion former Manly backrower Watmough has urged fans not to panic about a future without the record-breaking No.7. He is confident in the club's playmaker succession plan, with teenagers Walsh, Dowell and Large all progressing nicely.
Five-eighth Dowell and halfback Walsh gave us a glimpse into that future last Friday night, combining superbly to help the Watmough-coached Jersey Flegg (under-21) team beat a big, physical Warriors side in front of a hostile Auckland crowd. Rugby union convert Walsh finished with three tries inside 21 minutes, earning himself a personal highlights reel which is gaining high rotation on social media platforms.
Watmough told Yahoo Sport Australia: "Losing someone like 'Cherry' is always going to hurt a club because he's a quality player. But what the club's done well with recruitment is they're fool-proofing for the future to make sure that fall is a little bit softer.
"These three young guys have time on their side and have a lot to learn before reaching that (NRL) level, but I think they are going to do really well in the future. I'm pretty excited about what the next few years will look like after Cherry finishes up."
Of the three young playmakers, Walsh would appear to have his nose in front after training with the NRL squad over the summer. "To not play league for four years and come out against that strong Warriors team on the weekend and score a hat-trick and get the win will do wonders for his game," Watmough said.
"He's a very smart footballer for a young man and a quality person. Obviously being up with the first grade squad for the pre-season has really helped his progress. With Callum and Large there as well, I think we are in a really, really strong position (for halves)."
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Manly CEO Tony Mestrov declined to speculate on Cherry-Evans' future, other than to confirm talks were ongoing and he was confident of the right outcome for club and player.
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