Knife twisted as Daly Cherry-Evans' ‘tough' week gets even worse as Manly go down to Gold Coast
Gold Coast captain Kieran Foran has outplayed his former Manly halves partner Daly Cherry-Evans to inspire one of the best Titans victories of all-time.
The 28-8 NRL win at Robina on Friday night was a hammer blow to the Sea Eagles, but even worse was the loss of star back-rower Haumole Olakau'atu with a dislocated right shoulder.
Manly choked, as they had done in their previous four away games when favourites against lowly-ranked opponents.
Gold Coast were decimated with 11 players unavailable, nine with injury and two in State of Origin camps.
'I needed a big one tonight. I returned from injury and have been a bit quiet,' Foran said.
'I'm just happy we got the win. Personally, I stepped it up a notch.
'I'm extremely proud. We started well and I thought we threw the ball around really nicely in the first half.
'We were able to capitalise with a few tries. I'm even more proud of the second half.'
Manly had no Origin representatives for the first time since 2015.
The expectation before the match was that Sea Eagles skipper Cherry-Evans would respond to his Queensland axing and lead his side to victory, particularly with star fullback Tom Trbojevic back in the side from injury.
It didn't pan out that way. Cherry-Evans, apart from one try assist, was underwhelming.
He was philosophical rather than bitter about his Origin axing after 26 games and 19 as captain of the Maroons.
'The start of the week was tough,' Cherry-Evans said.
'On Sunday, I got the news and on Monday I had to go to training and face the boys.
'After that it honestly started to feel normal.
'The initial news was tough but I moved on and thought we were going to come here and play some good footy. Based on our preparation, it looked like all the signs were there.
'Unfortunately, the most important part of the week is showing up on game day and we didn't do that.'
Titans second-rower Beau Fermor, also dropped by the Maroons for game two, sent a strong message to coach Billy Slater that he got it all wrong.
Fermor had a blinder, saving a try with a last ditched effort to stop Olakau'atu from scoring in a play where he was also injured.
Gold Coast stunned the visitors to lead 22-8 at halftime.
Manly centre Reuben Garrick crashed over early in his 150th game and added a second during the half, but the opening 40 minutes belonged to Foran.
The 34-year-old 2011 premiership winner wound back the clock and sent flying winger Allan Fitzgibbon over with a stellar cutout pass.
Foran and former Manly gun Brian Kelly sent speed demon Alofiana Khan-Pereira in for his 50th try in his 52nd match, the equal-quickest to the milestone in the NRL era.
Khan-Pereira was in again for his second after beating five Manly defenders.
When Titans fullback AJ Brimson carved through the defence to send half Jayden Campbell in under the sticks Manly were looking like a rabble.
Brimson has destroyed Manly in the past and he did so again in a brilliant display.
Train and trial second-rower Josh Patston made his NRL debut off the bench for the hosts while development list prop Tukimihia Simpkins, formerly with Wests Tigers, was on club debut.
Titans back-rower Chris Randall iced the win with a second-half try on the back of a monumental defensive effort.
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"On this game alone and his performance tonight, it shows that Billy Slater's call with Tommy Dearden was the right one," former Maroons half Cooper Cronk said on Fox League after the Sea Eagles' 28-8 loss to the Titans. The 18-6 series-opening loss in Brisbane disappointed Close, man of the match in the first two Origins in 1980 and 1981, told AAP the performance of Cherry-Evans and Dearden, who came off the bench, was in stark contrast. "You have to look at the impact both players had in game one," Close said. "Daly Cherry-Evans turned 36 before the match as the oldest to ever play Origin. He goes into the game and carries it (with conviction) once. "If you look at (NSW halves in game one) Cleary and Moses and look at Dearden and the amount of times they carry the ball, it is vastly different. "You can't go into an Origin game and be inert. Just passing the ball and putting a few kicks in, more is required at Origin level. You have got to be the leader in your position. When Tom Dearden came on things did start to happen. We didn't look dangerous at any stage until he took the field. "You've got to rip the Band-Aid off and get on with it. Sad as it is for Daly Cherry-Evans who has been an iconic performer for Queensland, Billy Slater has identified that his time is up and we need to go in a different direction if we want to look after our future and maintain our levels of performance, not only in this game coming up but in games beyond that." Close said Dearden's Origin debut in the 2022 decider, won by the Maroons, spoke volumes. "If you go back to the first game that Tom Dearden played in Origin, think about a pass he threw to Valentine Holmes that led to a try," he said. "That was an Origin pass and what Origin players need to do. They need to be able to do that at the time when it is needed the most. "I am not critical of Daly Cherry-Evans. How could anyone be critical of his Origin career? It was remarkable. Many, many times he led the way. But he has got to the stage where he wasn't allowed to get into that (opening) game. We have got to change that." Close said those critical of the axing of Cherry to realise that "the world doesn't stop" when good players are forced to retire. "Did the world stop when Wally Lewis couldn't play any more Origins? No it didn't," he said. "Let's find another mindset where we find a player who will take over and give us what we need - a performance at a level that is way above what they give on a week-in and week-out basis. "Every one of those New South Welshman that played in game one played above their club standard to a level that is called State of Origin. Apart from Tommy Dearden, I didn't recognise anyone in that Queensland side that went above that level." Queensland has "ripped the Band-Aid off" by axing Daly Cherry-Evans and replacing him with Tom Dearden at No.7 and Maroons legend Chris Close insists it was the right call. Cherry-Evans was sacked as captain and halfback for game two of the State of Origin series in Perth after a 26-game career including the last 19 as skipper. His last two games for Manly, losses to Newcastle and Gold Coast, have been underwhelming and vindicated Slater's decision in some respects. "On this game alone and his performance tonight, it shows that Billy Slater's call with Tommy Dearden was the right one," former Maroons half Cooper Cronk said on Fox League after the Sea Eagles' 28-8 loss to the Titans. The 18-6 series-opening loss in Brisbane disappointed Close, man of the match in the first two Origins in 1980 and 1981, told AAP the performance of Cherry-Evans and Dearden, who came off the bench, was in stark contrast. "You have to look at the impact both players had in game one," Close said. "Daly Cherry-Evans turned 36 before the match as the oldest to ever play Origin. He goes into the game and carries it (with conviction) once. "If you look at (NSW halves in game one) Cleary and Moses and look at Dearden and the amount of times they carry the ball, it is vastly different. "You can't go into an Origin game and be inert. Just passing the ball and putting a few kicks in, more is required at Origin level. You have got to be the leader in your position. When Tom Dearden came on things did start to happen. We didn't look dangerous at any stage until he took the field. "You've got to rip the Band-Aid off and get on with it. Sad as it is for Daly Cherry-Evans who has been an iconic performer for Queensland, Billy Slater has identified that his time is up and we need to go in a different direction if we want to look after our future and maintain our levels of performance, not only in this game coming up but in games beyond that." Close said Dearden's Origin debut in the 2022 decider, won by the Maroons, spoke volumes. "If you go back to the first game that Tom Dearden played in Origin, think about a pass he threw to Valentine Holmes that led to a try," he said. "That was an Origin pass and what Origin players need to do. They need to be able to do that at the time when it is needed the most. "I am not critical of Daly Cherry-Evans. How could anyone be critical of his Origin career? It was remarkable. Many, many times he led the way. But he has got to the stage where he wasn't allowed to get into that (opening) game. We have got to change that." Close said those critical of the axing of Cherry to realise that "the world doesn't stop" when good players are forced to retire. "Did the world stop when Wally Lewis couldn't play any more Origins? No it didn't," he said. "Let's find another mindset where we find a player who will take over and give us what we need - a performance at a level that is way above what they give on a week-in and week-out basis. "Every one of those New South Welshman that played in game one played above their club standard to a level that is called State of Origin. Apart from Tommy Dearden, I didn't recognise anyone in that Queensland side that went above that level."
