DCE to announce retierment

[Budgie]

You're all responding to a 'rumour' from BoomStick Barbie of all people 🤷‍♀️🤦‍♀️🙄

 

[Nike]

Interesting quote from Cherry-Evans from late September, per SMH.

"Cherry-Evans can hit the open market on November 1 when his current deal – worth a little under $1 million a year – enters its final season, but a gentleman’s agreement with Manly officials to work out another deal for 2026 and/or 2027 over the summer has him at ease.

“That will get sorted at the right time, now’s just not it,” he says.

“The priority is finals and that’s where we want to be. I’ve been here so long as well that I’m not worried about the future. If it all ended tomorrow, I’d be a very happy man.

“But I know it won’t, and that’s why I’m not worried.”

No one except those involved will really know for sure one way or another until he actually hangs them up, just found his recent comments interesting.

As mentioned previously he has had Joey Walsh involved during game day, Humphries was let go after obviously a decent investment in his development and at the time out of left field acquisition of Brooks might indicate we've been undergoing a form of transition for a while now.

It's all speculation, but it's pretty fun to speculate aggressively online when there's no footy though.

 

[lsz]

This is an interesting read especially how most people on here comment on his physical condition without thinking about the mental fatigue of playing 15 years in the top grade

 

[Disco]

Unfortunately IMO we won’t win the comp wit this particular set up. We are VERY top heavy with too many players on very good money.
I feel if the DCE $1m contract is replaced with a $150k Walsh contract we could buy another origin quality prop and would balance out our squad.

This could also be the reason DCE has made his decision so it give Seibs the time/respect to recruit accordingly and Cherry would be well aware of this.

Paying around a mil for a top tier halfback is not unbalanced.

Whats Clearly on? 1.2? 1.3?

 

[Ben]

Paying around a mil for a top tier halfback is not unbalanced.

Whats Clearly on? 1.2? 1.3?

I’m not saying DCE isn’t worth $1m. I’m pointing out the fact we are top heavy with a few players on big money.

 

[Stewbojevic]

I’m not saying DCE isn’t worth $1m. I’m pointing out the fact we are top heavy with a few players on big money.

It’s a proven strategy for success. The Storm did it with Slater, Smith, and Cronk for years. They now do it with Munster, Grant, Papi, and Hughes. The Panthers have most of their cap in Cleary and Yeo.

We just haven’t had the right guys in those top seats to win a comp. Tom has been too injured. Jake isn’t a spine player. DCE is a great player but isn’t in the same class as Cleary or Smith.

 

[madmax]

I’m not saying DCE isn’t worth $1m. I’m pointing out the fact we are top heavy with a few players on big money.

Cherry’s contract is not holding us back anymore & in any case is worth the money. What’s holding us up now is the $950k per year that Jrbo is on!!

 

[double hoops]

About time. He is getting close to 40.🤔

 

[Ben]

Cherry’s contract is not holding us back anymore & in any case is worth the money. What’s holding us up now is the $950k per year that Jrbo is on!!

Thats exactly my point about being top heavy and squad imbalance

 

[Andrew..]

We are somewhat top-heavy, but, let's be honest it's our lack of access to third-party sponsorships that makes it hard to compete with premiership-winning teams. If Mestrov can somehow bridge that gap we can go toe to toe with the heavyweights and get our beloved team back where it belongs.

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

You're entitled to your opinion and I can see how you've come to it, but I tend to think the '5th and 12th like we have the last 10 years' would have been 12th to 17th without him. That's what scares me the most. It's not that we'll be losing a guy that captained us to premiership glory, we'll be losing a guy that kept us competitive and away from the bottom rung of the ladder. The club's lack of premiership success involves many factors and I personally feel that DCE has been one of our constants that has allowed us to remain competitive and entertained.

Well said , & the haters will continue to hate

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

We are somewhat top-heavy, but, let's be honest it's our lack of access to third-party sponsorships that makes it hard to compete with premiership-winning teams. If Mestrov can somehow bridge that gap we can go toe to toe with the heavyweights and get our beloved team back where it belongs.

So much for salary cap supposedly spreading the talent , pffft.

 

[LeonardCohen]

We just don’t have the middle (including 9) to compete with the heavyweights.

If we free up space with DCE’s retirement, we could buy a couple of middles but then struggle to put it together in attack and end up in the same place we are now.

I’d rather have DCE and an average middle, than a strong middle with a rookie half that can’t direct the team around or ice the 5th tackle options.

It’s easier to get away with a lack of talent in the middle, than it is to have a clueless 7.

 

[manly al]

It’s a proven strategy for success. The Storm did it with Slater, Smith, and Cronk for years. They now do it with Munster, Grant, Papi, and Hughes. The Panthers have most of their cap in Cleary and Yeo.

We just haven’t had the right guys in those top seats to win a comp. Tom has been too injured. Jake isn’t a spine player. DCE is a great player but isn’t in the same class as Cleary or Smith.

Pretty fair assessment but just makes one wonder how much closer that 2021 finalist outfit could have got to a comp winning position if a few more things were going their way and with that spine at the time ,.
Schuster going off his game a bit , Keppie and Alioia with some indifferent form , Tent not quite hitting his straps , just serviceable centres in Harper and Parker though Suli was capable of a bit of an X factor at times .
Circumstances and opposing team strengths change but better strike power in the backs now.
Be good to think that a bit more can be provided from a 9 and 13 perspective now, Turbo and D C E can be playing at an elite level and the pack aiming up..
Guess what i am really trying to suggest is that this current lineup at full strength and firing and with a bit more to offer from the spine could well be capable of going better and more successful then that 21 line up

 

[manly al]

Just a bit off topic and off course a bit outplayed by the Panthers in the G F but gee the Storm are going to be hard to beat this year after noticing their predicted top 17 line up .
How or however they are managing it , no idea but seem an even more formidable side .
Going to need more then D C E playing at his best level to get the better of them but have shown the past couple of seasons that they can match them if not better , so here is hoping

 

[bob dylan]

My pet hate, an announcement then playing on. But that is his style and his generation.

No one likes a drawn out retirement. A last game here and and last game there, a final match vs this bloke and that. Its very tedious.

I wish players had some dignity and announced re it after retirements after they played that last match.

 

[lsz]

My pet hate, an announcement then playing on. But that is his style and his generation.

No one likes a drawn out retirement. A last game here and and last game there, a final match vs this bloke and that. Its very tedious.

I wish players had some dignity and announced re it after retirements after they played that last match.

I get it but also it is a good thing in a salary cap / rumour era where you can imagine what potential instability would come from it

 

[bob dylan]

I get it but also it is a good thing in a salary cap / rumour era where you can imagine what potential instability would come from it

It gives us all a chance to organise ourselves too.

 

[bob dylan]

Just a bit off topic and off course a bit outplayed by the Panthers in the G F but gee the Storm are going to be hard to beat this year after noticing their predicted top 17 line up .
How or however they are managing it , no idea but seem an even more formidable side .
Going to need more then D C E playing at his best level to get the better of them but have shown the past couple of seasons that they can match them if not better , so here is hoping

I was only thinking yesterday they look almost certainties at this stage.

But things happen.......

 

[Ron E. Gibbs]

We just don’t have the middle (including 9) to compete with the heavyweights.

Yep. This is our biggest weakness, aside from our poor defence overall.

I’d rather have DCE and an average middle, than a strong middle with a rookie half that can’t direct the team around or ice the 5th tackle options.

It’s easier to get away with a lack of talent in the middle, than it is to have a clueless 7.

I would think that Luke Brooks - a very experienced NRL player who had an excellent first season for us - will be leading the team around, and not a rookie half. I'm guessing that was always part of the reason for bringing him to the club. A transition away from DCE that pairs Brooks, whether he plays at 6 or 7 (remembering he is a former Dally M Halfback of the Year), with a younger half doesn't seem quite so scary to me.