Manly CEO Tony Mestrov opens up on Daly Cherry-Evans’ exit from the club
Manly CEO Tony Mestrov has broken his silence on Daly Cherry-Evans’ exit from the club revealing how and when he learned of his club captain’s plans – and the tough questions he had to answer from those closest to him.
Sea Eagles boss Tony Mestrov has revealed Daly Cherry-Evans sought a release to play for a Queensland club as he hit out at the “lies” and “mistruths” over the skipper’s Brookvale contract bust-up.
Mestrov has broken his silence on a bombshell meeting with Cherry-Evans before the 2024 pre-season in which the Manly playmaker formally asked for an immediate release to return home to Queensland.
“It really shocked me,” Mestrov says. “I didn’t see it coming.”
Mestrov rejected the request.
But for Manly bosses, the seeds for an eventual defection were clearly sown.
Sixteen months later, their worst fears were realised when Cherry-Evans on Monday night confirmed he would sever ties with the Sea Eagles at season’s end after a decorated, premiership-winning 15-season stint in Manly colours.
On Sunday, Cherry-Evans will run out to face Manly fans for the first time since his shock decision to quit the Sea Eagles when he takes on the Eels at 4 Pines Park.
As the Manly No.7 weighs up his future, this masthead can reveal:
* At least four clubs, including the Dolphins, have formally expressed interest;
* The Queensland Origin skipper would prefer to remain in Sydney if he plays on, but is open to a move north of the border;
* NRL salary-cap auditors would have registered a new deal with Manly for less than $750,000 because of Cherry-Evans’ age (36) and years of one-club service;
* Former Dolphins coach Wayne Bennett made no attempt to convince ‘DCE’ to break his Manly contract and shift to Redcliffe last year; and
* Cherry-Evans is on $900,000 this season, well shy of the $1.1 million-plus he was reportedly seeking to remain at Brookvale in 2026.
DCE’S SECRET EXIT
In a week of drama for the Sea Eagles, one of the most explosive developments is Mestrov’s revelation that Cherry-Evans wanted out of Manly well before the ructions of Monday night.
In November 2023, Cherry-Evans called an urgent meeting with Mestrov.
It was the off-season after Anthony Seibold’s first year in charge as Manly coach. As Seibold began planning Manly’s premiership assault in 2024, Mestrov was blindsided.
“Daly came to us wanting a release,” the Manly CEO told this masthead, speaking for the first time about the skipper’s secret Queensland exit strategy.
“He was our club captain and we didn’t plan for that.
“At that time, it was coming into the new pre-season, so we knocked it back.
“We couldn’t make a change that late.
“I was surprised because I had been here since August 2022 (as Manly CEO) and we had a lot of changes. Des (Hasler, former coach) had left and we had a tough period.
“It seemed to me like Daly was getting itchy feet and wanted a change
It came as a surprise to me that he wanted a release.”
Contacted by this masthead on the eve of the Eels clash, Cherry-Evans declined to comment, but confirmed asking for a release.
TITANS OR DOLPHINS?
Mestrov says he was not made aware of the club Cherry-Evans intended to join last year, but it is understood the only two options for the Maroons skipper in Queensland were the Dolphins or Titans.
The Cowboys had no dialogue with Cherry-Evans, while the Broncos were content with their halves pairing of Ezra Mam and Adam Reynolds, who had steered Brisbane to the grand final a month before DCE’s release request.
The Dolphins, as a new franchise, had the salary-cap millions to afford the Manly halfback, but club officials, including Bennett, insist they had no talks with the Redcliffe junior.
If the Dolphins are to be believed, that left only one Queensland suitor: the Gold Coast Titans.
A return to the Gold Coast would have been a head-spinning scenario given the toxic tensions of 2015, when Cherry-Evans sensationally reneged on a four-year deal with the Titans to sign a $10 million, eight-year contract at Manly.
But a decade on, Cherry-Evans had fresh links to the Titans. His former mentor at Manly, Hasler, had been appointed Titans coach for the 2024 season. Cherry-Evans still values him so much that Hasler was invited to the half-back’s wedding last November.
The Titans were also chasing a halfback. Ben Hunt was on the club’s radar for 12 months, but in the end, Manly blocked Cherry-Evans’ request to move to Queensland.
The skipper, who had cited personal reasons, copped the decision on the chin and told Mestrov he would give his all for Manly in 2024, which he did.
Asked why Cherry-Evans wanted a release, Mestrov says: “I think he was looking for new things. He has won a grand final, he has played for Queensland and Australia.
“He has done it all really.
“I don’t think he had an issue with anyone at the club but it was just ‘Chez’ himself. He was looking for new challenges, I believe, and I don’t believe it was a money thing then.
“Look, Daly is a Queenslander, he is from Queensland, it’s his roots, his family is from there.
“I think he wanted opportunities to do other things.”
THE BACKLASH
When Cherry-Evans runs out on Sunday, chances are he won’t be jeered by the Manly faithful. The boos could be reserved for Manly hierarchy, but Mestrov scoffs at the perception the Sea Eagles butchered contract negotiations with a favourite son.
“To be honest, I’m sick of the lies and mistruths and I want to set the record straight,” Mestrov said.
“Being a CEO of an NRL club is a lonely place at times. Even my wife asked me, ‘How can you let Chez go?’
“It’s OK for all the critics out there to bag us and say, ‘Pay Daly $1 million’, but they aren’t the ones in charge of managing a salary cap.
“I’m sure Penrith didn’t want to lose (Jarome) Luai and all their other guys.
“The innuendo does take a toll because people say you stuffed up, you didn’t make an offer.
“The claim we didn’t make an offer is not true.
We did make one, but Daly’s management wanted $1.1 million to $1.2 million and we simply couldn’t afford that much money, as much as we rate Daly as a player and his legacy.”
Sources close to Cherry-Evans claim he never sought $1.1m.
Ultimately, the Sea Eagles offered $750,000, a potential fiscal gulf of $700,000 over two seasons, enough to represent the last rites for Cherry-Evans’ career at Brookvale.
“We had to make a business decision,” Mestrov said.
“We had to say, ‘OK, Daly is a wonderful player, but he is turning 37’.
“We can’t afford to pay him big money because we need to re-sign guys like Haumole (Olakau’atu) and Lehi (Hopoate).
“I liken this situation to Blake Solly (Rabbitohs CEO) with Adam Reynolds at South Sydney. I know exactly how he feels (after Reynolds quit Souths to join the Broncos in 2022).
“Souths had to make a tough call on Adam and there is backlash against the club, but we’re the ones managing the salary cap, not the critics, and we’re in a premiership window.
THE SHOWDOWN
The Sea Eagles have come under fire for initially tabling only a one-year deal last November, but Mestrov claims Cherry-Evans’ management never flagged any rival offers.
“The NRL salary-cap auditor was prepared to accept a lower offer (than $750,000) from us because Daly was the oldest half in the comp and he had been at the one club,” Mestrov said.
“That is a fact.
“I won’t reveal the exact figure the NRL would have accepted because it’s confidential, but it was considerably lower than what we offered.
“Daly’s team wanted at least $1.1 million.
“And to go to that level, we said, ‘OK, what interest is there?
“I asked Daly’s management, ‘Where are the offers?’
“They said, ‘We haven’t got one’.
“The reason I asked for an offer (from rival clubs) was because if some other club offered $1.1 million, then naturally we would have to consider countering it.
“But it would be irresponsible of me to the club and our salary-cap situation if I said, ‘No dramas, I’ll just give you $1.1m, even if you have no other formal offer’ and Manly are bidding against themselves.
“I am always here to protect the club first
THE BLUNDER
Mestrov is livid at claims Cherry-Evans only received a two-year offer when the Manly boss called the NRL 360 program last Monday night to pass on details of an extra year for the skipper.
NRL 360 host Braith Anasta hastily announced the two-year upgrade via Mestrov, who had called Fox Sports boss Steve Crawley, midway through the show around 7pm.
It came more than an hour after Channel 9 reported at 5.41pm that Cherry-Evans would quit the Sea Eagles.
Those chaotic machinations made Manly bosses look like negotiating amateurs left scrambling after Cherry-Evans called their bluff. Mestrov insists that’s not the case.
“I want to clarify this part. You can quote me on this,” Mestrov said.
“Around midday last Monday, Peter Gentle (Manly recruitment chief) made Daly’s management aware that we were making a two-year offer.
“We didn’t offer Daly two years during the NRL 360 program.
“I did call the 360 program, but much earlier in the day, we had already advised Daly’s team that we were offering a two-year deal.
“Because his form at the start of the year was so hot, we were already working on an improved offer well before the NRL 360 program.”
As it turned out, regardless of the precise timing, it was a futile exercise. Cherry-Evans had mentally checked out. He formally rejected Manly’s $1.5 million offer the next day.
THE FUTURE
Mestrov is adamant there is no bad blood with Cherry-Evans and scuppered fears the Brookvale brouhaha could derail Manly’s premiership push this season.
He admits the situation could have been handled better.
But he hopes the 333-game stalwart can lift the NRL trophy this year and skipper the Sea Eagles to their first premiership since 2011, Cherry-Evans’ rookie season.
“We have come to terms with it,” Mestrov said.
“The learnings are that it could have been done better and more together. The process wasn’t ideal and it didn’t work out like we hoped. That’s being truthful, from a club point of view.
“It was unsavoury at times and it leaves a dirty taste in my mouth.
“But I’m old enough and ugly enough to move on and I’m excited about the future.
“We knew there was a possibility that Chez would retire this year. That’s kind of the same thing as him leaving, so we had an idea that we wouldn’t have him on our books for 2026.
“We had plans in place, but it was the way it all happened that wasn’t ideal, I accept that.
“We wish Daly the best. We have been fine through the process, but we should all take responsibility that we could have done things better and we would have got the same result.
“This will not derail the team or the club.
“I have been really impressed with Daly, Tom and Jake (Trbojevic) this week and how they have handled the situation, how Seibs has got them together and our discussions with various players.
The boys are pumped, they have no issues with Daly.
“Daly Cherry-Evans is the most professional player in rugby league. If anyone can concentrate on the job and block out the noise, it’s him.
“He is the best in the business.”
Peter Badel
