The Daly Cherrygraph

[Lyonstomenzies]

It’s funny how the coaches, league commentators, other players, and the experts of the game, all regard DCE as one of the best halves in the game. He gets numerous MOM awards and Dally M points by those in the know. Also he’s chosen for his state and county.

Yet on Silvertails though, it’s as though he is Luke Brooks!!!! Failing the club, and the reason we haven’t won a premiership.

Thurston who many regard as the best half of the last 20 years, only won 1 premiership for his club, and that was in extra time with the game handed to him. His club failed year after year with the best half in the game. I watched a lot of NQ play those years, and I can tell you he put in some pretty average performances.

Sometimes this site cracks me up.

 

[globaleagle]

IN on page 400!

 

[Sheikheagle]

Would appear that Fainu the younger may be seen as the next cab of the rank .. at 16, the 3 more years for DCE puts him in the right age range to take over ..

Isn’t he more of a 6 woodsie ?

 

[jbb/james]

Isn’t he more of a 6 woodsie ?

In the little i have seen he is more the cameron munster than a jarohme hughes type. Gimme the ball, gimme , gimme

 

[Woodsie]

Isn’t he more of a 6 woodsie ?

Don't you dare start adding confusing the story with facts.

 

[Mal Cochrane]

I thought it was more about the coin he is on for what he is delivering

If we want a better team around him, or need better forwards to help him go forward, its difficult when you give a player like dce such a lucrative contract, because whilst good or even brilliant on his day, they are just a little too far between for a player on that salary

 

[Sheikheagle]

Don't you dare start adding confusing the story with facts.

Given your advanced years the odd mistake is perfectly ok 🤦

 

[Lyonstomenzies]

• Daly has been Cam Smith level in terms of durability so he is going to be fine at 35-36.
• he is a half that needs the pack to go forward to be successful. Name a half that doesn’t?
• he is terrible when the chips are down and lacks the composure to dig us out of a hole...however premierships aren’t won by teams when the chips are down...

So...

We can win another comp with Daly at 7 but the pack must improve and/or we buy some forwards. The pack is the main reason for our inconsistencies and inability to challenge the best sides, not Daly.

Imagine him behind our pack of 2011 but with Turbo at the back chiming in.

Snake was awesome, but it would have been great to see Turbo behind that pack.

 

[Will on the hill]

A perfectly executed succession plan involves at least 1 preferably 2 years of overlap where the baton is passed slowly. Last thing we want is to lose Foz and Chez at the same time and throw in 2 debutants.

 

[mave]

Yes i agree.not a fullback either , he would make a better hooker.

DCE would be the best hooker in the comp today.

Maybe that role for us is in his future, as the gun halves come through the ranks.

 

[KaZa]

Dce

DCE would be the best hooker in the comp today.

Maybe that role for us is in his future, as the gun halves come through the ranks.

Been thinking this for a while. His dummy half running would be good. Add a kicking game from there. Can tackle well. Then we can have another half to actually organise the side better. His experience would help someone like Humphries integrate into first grade. Maybe next season. Depending what happens with Fainu

 

[lsz]

Move the current Aus halfback to hooker for an unproven kid?

 

[Scorpio]

What? It was only a couple of days ago that Storm (a front running club) just extended Hughes and Coates to the end of 2026,and there's been several other long term extensions but Storm and Chooks for example, renegotiating current deals and adding a couple of years on well into the future.

No contract comes without risk but I think extending DCE will likely keep our premiership window open longer. Time will tell of course!

I was more thinking that when Cameron Smith, who is all but certain to be a future immortal, was in the final year of his longest contract (i.e. not a year before it finished) he was only given one-year extensions by the Storm.

As for Melbourne's re-signings this week. Coates is 21, Grant 24, Hughes 27... DCE is 33.

A 4-year deal for a guy who won a premiership in 2020, isn't quite the same as giving a 33-year-old a two year extension on a current deal which still has two years left to run.

For what it's worth I would have been happier if the club had a discussion around DCE extending next year. The club would have a better idea of a contract value to offer, OR maybe... just maybe... we'd be able to throw in a halfback on minimal coin who could get the job done, while allowing us to spend more salary cap money where we need to spend it.

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

OR maybe... just maybe... we'd be able to throw in a halfback on minimal coin who could get the job done

You make some good points - except this isn't one of them! Can you give any examples of halfback's on minimal coin who could get the job done?

 

[Scorpio]

You make some good points - except this isn't one of them! Can you give any examples of halfback's on minimal coin who could get the job done?

For a start I thought Humphreys played fine in the trial game. Is he ready right now? Maybe not... Would he be ready next year? Maybe. But both of those questions are irrelevant, as even without the extension, DCE was still contracted here until the end of 2023.

If you're asking me what the halfback market will look like for 2024. I don't know with any certainty, neither do the club, and no one in the NRL could assure you with 100% confidence either. A lot can change in two years. But evidently the club weren't willing to wait and find out what the situation in 2024 would look like.

As for throwing in a halfback on minimal coin who could get the job done. In 2009 no one could have assured you that our next premiership winning halfback was playing Queensland Cup, and would then win a premiership as a rookie on $80k per season. Albeit, DCE's salary that year was part of the reason why we were able to have a stacked team around him (without huge salary outliers), capable of winning that premiership.

Which brings me to:

• [DCE] is a half that needs the pack to go forward to be successful. Name a half that doesn’t?
• [DCE] is terrible when the chips are down and lacks the composure to dig us out of a hole...however premierships aren’t won by teams when the chips are down...

So...

We can win another comp with Daly at 7 but the pack must improve and/or we buy some forwards. The pack is the main reason for our inconsistencies and inability to challenge the best sides, not Daly.

I agree with this, but I think we need to acknowledge that part of our problem is that we have a very top-heavy salary cap (with Jake, Tom and DCE) that has restricted us in the talent/depth we can afford elsewhere.

Judging by this latest extension, it seems like the club thinks that continuing this strategy of having a few players on absolutely top dollar for their positions, plus filling the gaps elsewhere, can win us a premiership. It's been 11 years since our last premiership and I am starting to doubt we'll see another one soon. Happy to be proven wrong of course.

 

[jbb/james]

You make some good points - except this isn't one of them! Can you give any examples of halfback's on minimal coin who could get the job done?

foran , does he qualify

 

[Jerry1]

I'm one of the sceptics out there. How fkn amazing was it to see DCE put on a master class of kicking just before it was announced he has had his contract extended.....

 

[Snake]

For a start I thought Humphreys played fine in the trial game. Is he ready right now? Maybe not... Would he be ready next year? Maybe. But both of those questions are irrelevant, as even without the extension, DCE was still contracted here until the end of 2023.

If you're asking me what the halfback market will look like for 2024. I don't know with any certainty, neither do the club, and no one in the NRL could assure you with 100% confidence either. A lot can change in two years. But evidently the club weren't willing to wait and find out what the situation in 2024 would look like.

As for throwing in a halfback on minimal coin who could get the job done. In 2009 no one could have assured you that our next premiership winning halfback was playing Queensland Cup, and would then win a premiership as a rookie on $80k per season. Albeit, DCE's salary that year was part of the reason why we were able to have a stacked team around him (without huge salary outliers), capable of winning that premiership.

Which brings me to:


I agree with this, but I think we need to acknowledge that part of our problem is that we have a very top-heavy salary cap (with Jake, Tom and DCE) that has restricted us in the talent/depth we can afford elsewhere.

Judging by this latest extension, it seems like the club thinks that continuing this strategy of having a few players on absolutely top dollar for their positions, plus filling the gaps elsewhere, can win us a premiership. It's been 11 years since our last premiership and I am starting to doubt we'll see another one soon. Happy to be proven wrong of course.

personally I don’t think we have a cap problem because our big dollars are in the big positions...the clubs with problems are the ones paying big dollars for props, back rowers and wingers etc. like the Bulldogs. Jake’s contract is mitigated by the deal we got for Foran.

The issue is the players around our spine are average - Harper, Parker, Saab, Croker, Keppie, Sipley, Davey, Taupau could all be upgraded. There’s some upside with Saab and the high ball but his yardage carries are an issue.

 

[47MVEagle]

I assume DCE's new deal will also be eligible for the marquee/10 year player discount so will be costing us even less of our cap?

 

[jbb/james]

I assume DCE's new deal will also be eligible for the marquee/10 year player discount so will be costing us even less of our cap?

maybe they changed that rule to 7 years, possibly, by the time the deal kicks in , if 7 it could also be applied to jakeys id assume