Motocross rider Joel Evans' fiancee Michaela Hurt reveals pregnancy in gut-wrenching tribute after his death
Evans, 30, crashed in the top-level MX1 race at the ProMX Championship event in South Australia and later died in hospital.
Tributes flowed from around the sport on Monday before his partner Michaela Hurt shared that 'the hardest day of our lives has been made easier knowing a piece of you lives on'.
'Yesterday we lost the most incredible person on this earth,' Michaela wrote.
'The most authentic, loved and kind-hearted soul. He loved and devoted his life to this sport which brought him so much joy and he rode it out right till the end.
'We are so grateful for the outpouring of love and support for our beautiful man.
'He is such a loved partner, uncle, brother, friend and son but most proudly a father to our adored little boy who is joining us in October.
'Please share his name, share his legacy, this incredible man deserves to be remembered across the generations. We love you so much Joely.'
The long-time couple were engaged in October last year.
Evans' family shared their heartbreak and vowed to support Michaela and their unborn child.
'I am lost for words, but I'll try,' sister Alex wrote.
'On Sunday I lost so much more than a brother. You were my best friend, the godfather to my babies, it felt like twins, you were such a piece to my puzzle. My boys were so lucky to have you.
'To our best friend Michaela I wish I could take your heartache and pain. I promise to support, care and love for you and my gorgeous boy coming as best I can. The way Joely would want me to.
'To my family I'm sure people get through this, it will take time for us to navigate that.
'You are suppose to still be here, this was not the way it was meant to be, I don't want to believe it and in this moment I honestly am not sure how to do it without you.'
Alex married Evans' fellow professional motocross rider Luke Reardon, and the couple became parents for the second time in February.
'We were meant to do this together,' Alex wrote on a photo of Evans with Michaela's pregnancy test.
'Your little man will be so loved I can't explain. I'll make you proud and I guarantee Luke will step up like you did when he couldn't be there.'
Luke said he was 'speechless and hurting'.
'But looking back on our memories and what a hell of a time we have had over the years,' he wrote.
'From our racing days to training days to our little getaways, just the four of us, soon to be our extended family of seven. I'm going to miss it all.
'You left us far too soon mate, but I can tell you one thing! Your little man is going to grow up and make you so damn proud & his little cousins are going to be right there by his side.'
Evans' sister Renae had earlier described him as 'the best brother a girl could ask for and an even greater uncle for my girls'.
Evans, who also raced in Asia, had previously overcome a serious crash in 2015 that nearly left him paralysed.
After a week-long induced coma he learned how to walk again and returned to riding within a year.
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Sydney Morning Herald
9 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
After 15 years in the NRL, did we ever get to know the real Daly Cherry-Evans?
Cherry-Evans' crime? Having the audacity to potentially finish his career somewhere other than the Northern Beaches. Paul Vautin somehow managed to finish up at the Roosters without becoming less of a Manly man, but another standard is seemingly applied to Cherry-Evans. Perhaps it's because fans could relate to Fatty, Cliffy, Bozo, Beaver, Wombat or Toovs. But, after 15 years in first grade, did we ever truly get to know Daly Cherry-Evans? 'By nature I am very, very private,' Cherry-Evans said. 'I think over the later part of my career I've tried to give the media and journalists a bit more of an insight, only because I believe that you guys are the link between us and the fans. 'So I think for the fans' sake I've tried to show them a bit more. 'Have I really showed my true colours through the media? Probably not. 'But I guess there's also a part of me that really enjoys when I'm at the pub and someone comes up to me and we have a chat and then they go 'Geez, you're not what I thought you were.' I sort of like that a little bit.' His move to the Tricolours has been reported as a done deal, but that's not the case, at least in a contractual sense. Sources speaking on the condition of anonymity have told this masthead that no deal has been agreed, not even of the handshake variety. Yet the transfer is still expected to happen, raising the prospect that he could join Cameron Smith as the only players to break the magical 400-game barrier. 'At the moment it does seem like it's so far away, but I think deep down I had the same feeling at 300,' Cherry-Evans said. 'I thought, 'That looks so far away', but before you know it, you keep persisting, and you're here again. 'I'll never say never on those things, but the reality is I actually just don't know how long I'm going to keep playing for. 'It would be crazy for me to think any more than just year to year. If I was to get there, a lot of things would have to go right, but it's pretty ambitious, isn't it? 'I think for right now I'm just going to enjoy 350 and see where that takes me.' This isn't the biggest contractual drama Cherry-Evans has endured. A decade ago, he committed to the Titans but, as permitted under the rules at the time, backflipped when Manly came back with a better offer. It was dubbed a 'lifetime deal', one that couldn't have predicted recent events. Does he have regrets about the nature of his departure? 'I think I've been through bigger decisions than this one,' he said to the Gold Coast situation. 'I thought the one earlier in my career was a bigger one and I've got no regrets for that one. So I reckon I'll have no regrets for this one.' The Sea Eagles may not like his decision, but it was made early enough for the club to plan for the future. Cherry-Evans' departure, along with Lachlan Galvin's mid-season exit from Wests Tigers, have been the biggest rugby league stories of the year. It's possible the transfers will end well for all four clubs involved. The Bulldogs-Galvin combination will be better after a pre-season together, while the Tigers have won four of their past six games since the youngster left the club. Manly have the arrival of Canberra's Jamal Fogarty and the emergence of young guns Joe Walsh and Onitoni Large to look forward to, while the Roosters hope Cherry-Evans can have a Cooper Cronk-like impact. The Tricolours signed Cronk at the end of 2017 for the final two years of his career, which both ended in Roosters premierships. With only three games to go in the maroon jersey, the focus will turn to Cherry-Evans' legacy on the northern beaches. 'The piece on how you get remembered, I think at the end of the day all you want to be known for is a reliable teammate that could do his job and be counted on,' he said. Loading 'I think that's the main thing you want to walk away with when it comes to how you want to be remembered. 'The thing I'm going to take away is the connections, the friendships, the relationships … To be able to go away, I'll retire and be old and hopefully one day I can bring my grandkids here and sort of point to something on the wall and say I was a part of this one day.'
The Age
9 hours ago
- The Age
NRL 2025: Manly Sea Eagles star Daly Cherry-Evans speaks ahead of 350-game milestone
Cherry-Evans' crime? Having the audacity to potentially finish his career somewhere other than the Northern Beaches. Paul Vautin somehow managed to finish up at the Roosters without becoming less of a Manly man, but another standard is seemingly applied to Cherry-Evans. Perhaps it's because fans could relate to Fatty, Cliffy, Bozo, Beaver, Wombat or Toovs. But, after 15 years in first grade, did we ever truly get to know Daly Cherry-Evans? Cherry-Evans trains at a sodden Brookvale Oval. Credit: Janie Barrett 'By nature I am very, very private,' Cherry-Evans said. 'I think over the later part of my career I've tried to give the media and journalists a bit more of an insight, only because I believe that you guys are the link between us and the fans. 'So I think for the fans' sake I've tried to show them a bit more. 'Have I really showed my true colours through the media? Probably not. 'But I guess there's also a part of me that really enjoys when I'm at the pub and someone comes up to me and we have a chat and then they go 'Geez, you're not what I thought you were.' I sort of like that a little bit.' His move to the Tricolours has been reported as a done deal, but that's not the case, at least in a contractual sense. Sources speaking on the condition of anonymity have told this masthead that no deal has been agreed, not even of the handshake variety. Yet the transfer is still expected to happen, raising the prospect that he could join Cameron Smith as the only players to break the magical 400-game barrier. 'At the moment it does seem like it's so far away, but I think deep down I had the same feeling at 300,' Cherry-Evans said. 'I thought, 'That looks so far away', but before you know it, you keep persisting, and you're here again. 'I'll never say never on those things, but the reality is I actually just don't know how long I'm going to keep playing for. 'It would be crazy for me to think any more than just year to year. If I was to get there, a lot of things would have to go right, but it's pretty ambitious, isn't it? 'I think for right now I'm just going to enjoy 350 and see where that takes me.' Daly Cherry-Evans at Sea Eagles training on Wednesday ahead of his 350th match. Credit: Janie Barrett This isn't the biggest contractual drama Cherry-Evans has endured. A decade ago, he committed to the Titans but, as permitted under the rules at the time, backflipped when Manly came back with a better offer. It was dubbed a 'lifetime deal', one that couldn't have predicted recent events. Does he have regrets about the nature of his departure? 'I think I've been through bigger decisions than this one,' he said to the Gold Coast situation. 'I thought the one earlier in my career was a bigger one and I've got no regrets for that one. So I reckon I'll have no regrets for this one.' The Sea Eagles may not like his decision, but it was made early enough for the club to plan for the future. Cherry-Evans' departure, along with Lachlan Galvin's mid-season exit from Wests Tigers, have been the biggest rugby league stories of the year. It's possible the transfers will end well for all four clubs involved. The Bulldogs-Galvin combination will be better after a pre-season together, while the Tigers have won four of their past six games since the youngster left the club. Manly have the arrival of Canberra's Jamal Fogarty and the emergence of young guns Joe Walsh and Onitoni Large to look forward to, while the Roosters hope Cherry-Evans can have a Cooper Cronk-like impact. The Tricolours signed Cronk at the end of 2017 for the final two years of his career, which both ended in Roosters premierships. With only three games to go in the maroon jersey, the focus will turn to Cherry-Evans' legacy on the northern beaches. 'The piece on how you get remembered, I think at the end of the day all you want to be known for is a reliable teammate that could do his job and be counted on,' he said. Loading 'I think that's the main thing you want to walk away with when it comes to how you want to be remembered. 'The thing I'm going to take away is the connections, the friendships, the relationships … To be able to go away, I'll retire and be old and hopefully one day I can bring my grandkids here and sort of point to something on the wall and say I was a part of this one day.' NRL is Live and Free on Channel 9 & 9Now
Perth Now
10 hours ago
- Perth Now
DCE stays silent on future as milestone looms
Departing Manly captain Daly Cherry-Evans wants to be remembered as a reliable teammate who could be 'counted on' but refused to answer questions about his future ahead of his 350th NRL game. Speculation continues to rage around what the 36-year-old will be doing in 2026 having announced his exit from the Sea Eagles earlier in the season with links to the Sydney Roosters as well as talk of retirement. Reports on Wednesday indicated the former Queensland captain wouldn't be walking away from the game and he did nothing to quell talk after pre-empting his silence on the matter at a press conference to mark his milestone game. 'Thanks for coming. I'll just start off by saying hopefully we can stay away from the future stuff, I am not going to answer anything,' he said. Daly Cherry-Evans will play game 350th this weekend. Credit: Supplied 'I understand you might ask but I am just not going to answer anything, I want to try and keep the focus on this weekend and Manly and hopefully the celebrations this weekend. 'I hope you can understand that.' Cherry-Evans declared he was 'very private' and while happy to give a 'bit more of an insight' into his personality at times, would be keeping the matter of his future to himself, for now. 'I guess the privacy thing has always been around trying to protect myself, as you can understand I've had some pretty rocky times through media,' Cherry-Evans said. 'My first thing to do is protect myself and that usually means don't tell or do anything and just lock it down. 'So I guess over time I have tried to give more of myself for the fans, but I do as though my best work is done face-to-face with someone.' Cherry-Evans will become becomes just the fifth player in the rugby league's history to play 350 first grade games, joining Terry Lamb, Darren Lockyer, Cooper Cronk and Cameron Smith in the elite club. Daly Cherry-Evans won the 2013 Clive Churchill medal. Homebush. Picture Gregg Porteous Credit: News Limited His achievement, however, comes with a tinge of sadness knowing his time at Manly, who can't make finals, is drawing to a close. 'This weekend I feel is a great way to celebrate a milestone, whereas a farewell as such I feel like there's an opportunity for that in the next couple of weeks,' he said. 'But not this weekend, I guess that's how I've framed it. This week is not a farewell, this week is more of a celebration for the milestone. 'Then we can all laugh and cry on the hill together in the last round of the year.' Cherry-Evans, who played 26 times for Queensland and 21 times for the Kangaroos, winning Origin series, tests as well as an NRL premiership, taking the Clive Churchill Medal as the grand fina's bets player in 2013, said his legacy won't be about the personal achievements. 'I think at the end of the day all you want to be known for is being a reliable teammate that could do his job and be counted on,' he said. 'That's the main thing you want to walk away with... the thing I am going to take away is the connections, the friendships, the relationships. 'That's always the hardest thing, but I guess that's the thing that over time you realise there's players I have played with that have since gone on and retired but the relationship and friendship has still stayed strong. 'I trust that that's still going to happen with a fair few of the playing group I have now.'
