DALY Cherry-Evans has put his name in lights in recent weeks with some outstanding displays for the Sunshine Coast Sea Eagles.
But if media reports that emerged yesterday are to be believed, the classy halfback may soon receive an offer to swap the sun for the bitter cold of northern England.
Speculation has emerged Bradford will make a play for the 21-year-old should Bradford playmaker and former Manly captain Matt Orford opt to quit the Bulls and return to the NRL before the June 30 deadline.
Cherry-Evans’ contract with Manly expires at the end of this year, and what the future holds for him could depend largely on the Brookvale club’s ongoing contract negotiations with boom halfback Trent Hodkinson.
Hodkinson was outstanding for the Sunshine Coast Sea Eagles last season and was crucial in the team’s success in winning the Queensland Cup premiership in its inaugural year.
After winning representative selection for City, thanks to strong form for Manly, Hodkinson has attracted interest from rival clubs, with Canterbury-Bankstown making a significant play for the 21-year-old for next season.
Cherry-Evans was unavailable for comment yesterday.
But Sunshine Coast Sea Eagles CEO Justin Veivers admitted he would be very surprised to see Cherry-Evans head to the English Super League so early in his career.
Thanks largely to Cherry-Evans’ scintillating form, Sunshine Coast has breathed new life into its premiership defence with 40-0 and 64-0 shutouts of Burleigh and Northern Pride respectively over the past three weeks.
“I wouldn’t have thought he would have to go overseas,” Veivers said yesterday.
“There aren’t too many good young halves around at the moment and anyone who has seen him play the last four or so weeks can see he would hold his own in the NRL.
“Just look at Hodkinson last year. He was a $50,000 player with Manly and, while Daly is a different player to Trent, you can see he has something special.”
