Daly Cherry-Evans responds to calls for Queensland to ‘pull the trigger' on axing captain for State of Origin II

7NEWS

4 days ago

Queensland captain Daly Cherry-Evans wants to achieve a 45-year first for the Maroons and stay on as halfback amid Andrew Johns' call for him to be axed.
After the Maroons' 18-6 loss to NSW in the State of Origin series opener, their third defeat in a row to the Blues, NSW's greatest halfback said it was time for current No.14 Tom Dearden to take over as No.7.
'Look, no one beats Father Time and DCE is what, (36)? I think they have to pull the trigger and bring Dearden in,' now commentator Johns said.
North Queensland co-captain Dearden played five-eighth in last year's series and was outstanding at No.6 for Australia in last year's Pacific Cup.
Cherry-Evans, the oldest Origin player in history, was below his best in his 26th match for the Maroons but Queensland have never dropped a captain mid-series in their Origin history.
It is why Maroons legend Shane Webcke told Triple M on Wednesday night the state was facing a quandary.
'I am a bit worried. There's some serious questions to be asked. And unfortunately, one of them I think might be Daly Cherry-Evans,' Webcke said.
'I just feel like he's at that point in his career. And when you see him with (No.6) Cameron Munster tonight, the magic wasn't there. And that worries me.
'And I hate to suggest something about a bloke like Daly Cherry-Evans, but I feel like at the end of the last series, we probably lost the opportunity with a bloke like him.
'He's 36 years old. But the opportunity was probably there to reinvent a bit. And I think we might pay a price for not having done that.'
Cherry-Evans has been around long enough to know these kind of murmurs arise after losses, but he wants to create history with Queensland and be part of a memorable series victory.
The Maroons have never lost the opening Origin match at home and then won the series with two games on the road. They now must do so in Perth and Sydney to raise the shield.
'Those stats are there to be broken. That's the mentality we've got to have, create our own bit of history,' he said.
'Sometimes you have to do things not the way you planned it at the start.
'It's a greater sign of a team facing adversity, overcoming obstacles and that's the opportunity we've got in front of us. I believe in the group and I believe in everyone, from the coaching staff to the playing group.
'Queensland will be cheering from afar, so we have to do them proud.'
The skipper also addressed claims he was a spent force at Origin level but rejected that sentiment.
'When you lose, it's just natural in this game that those questions will be asked,' he said.
'I just have to go away, look at my own performance and where I can help the team get better. I am certainly not the one to lose self-belief, that's for sure.
'Because of the role I have for this side, I will definitely take my share of responsibility and look really hard at where I can help the team get better for the next game. It's always difficult after a loss being in the position I'm in. It's not lost on me.'
Cherry-Evans has been in this position before. In 2020 he led a team that was tagged the worst Maroons side of all-time to a 2-1 series win. It is why he retains the faith this series can be salvaged.
'There's a lot of people in this group who have played a lot of footy together,' he said.
'This is going to be our greatest test and because of the relationships and the talent in the team, that's why I've got so much belief we can do this.'
Queensland coach Billy Slater was unequivocal in his support of the squad immediately after the defeat, suggesting he would not make any rash changes.