The Daly Cherrygraph

[Buddy Love]

Smear and loathing​

SMH - 06/04/25 - Danny "The Turd" Weirdler

Manly do not want emails detailing their negotiations with Daly Cherry-Evansto be made public because they will expose the basis for the smear campaign DCE has spoken about.

Cherry-Evans has nothing to hide, and while he will toe the company line and continue to dedicate himself to the Sea Eagles, if emails detailing negotiations were made public it would not be him who would look bad.

There are questions to be asked internally at Manly about the negotiations with DCE.

One major line of inquiry must be the accuracy with which the negotiations were detailed in the emails. We have put this to the Sea Eagles, and they did not want to comment.

What we can say is that Sea Eagles owner Scott Penn is of the firm view an offer was put to Cherry-Evans well in advance of the knee-jerk offer after it was revealed he was leaving the club.

“I have seen the emails, and we put forward a firm number in November last year, so to suggest we didn’t is wrong,” Penn told me. “They just wanted more.”

The DCE camp disputes this. There was an offer being prepared and an amount of money discussed, but it was never formalised, and no offer was made by Manly. We put that to Penn.

“Danny, I don’t want to go into the specifics of the negotiations,” he said. “We definitely put forward a strong offer, and they were clear they wanted more. We are not able to get to the number they are seeking, therefore respect their decision to go to market.”

Manly are still of the view this is about money. It’s really about respect.

Sea Eagles chief executive Tony Mestrov has been singled out as the person DCE was referring to when he spoke in the press conference following the clash with the Eels on Sunday about a smear campaign. Penn said he had no concerns about Mestrov.

“Tony is firmly part of our plans,” he said.

Mestrov won’t make any more media appearances. It is significant that he was removed as a guest from NRL 360. The suggestion is that Penn pulled him out of that appearance and another on a podcast.

“Tony and I were totally on the same page that enough had been said, and we didn’t need to comment any further,” Penn said. “Therefore, we politely declined the opportunities.”

Mestrov does have the support of Fox Sports and News Corp, where he has many allies. He is close enough with Fox Sports boss Steve Crawley to phone through an offer he said he was going to make to Cherry-Evans, rather than make it to his captain directly. He also has close relationships with other News Corp executives.

Seibold and strong​

The rumours and smear surrounding Cherry-Evans’ Manly departure have claimed other victims, including Manly coach Anthony Seibold.

It has been reported that Seibold and Tony Mestrov are best mates and somehow working against DCE. They definitely have a working relationship, but to report that they attended each other’s weddings and even had a role in the ceremonies is rubbish. They played a few games against each other in England and have since worked together at Manly.

Not so long ago, it was reported that Seibold stormed out of a meeting with Mestrov as they attempted to negotiate a new contract. That doesn’t suggest a close friendship.

Seibold has a good working relationship with Cherry-Evans and the pair respect each other at that level. This column reported that Seibold wasn’t at Cherry-Evans’ recent wedding, which is a fact, but we spoke to the Manly coach before writing that and he wasn’t concerned about being left off the invitation list, given the pair had not known each other for long at that stage. He said he would not have expected an invitation to something as private as a wedding.

Seibold remains unaffected by all the talk, as he has been through much worse as Broncos coach when he had to deal with his own smear campaign, which was all over social media. That had a genuine impact on him and his family, but it also toughened him up to be able to deal with the kind of stuff that’s being reported now.

 

[Uk eagle]

His back is gone.

The rest of him will be following at the end of the season

 

[ALinda]

Those Warrior game back spasms don’t magically disappear at an older age so he may be closer to the end than we think.

That is a very good point and, speaking from experience with back spasms, you might be right. Also could explain why Brooks has been kicking a lot more.

 

[mickqld]

That is a very good point and, speaking from experience with back spasms, you might be right. Also could explain why Brooks has been kicking a lot more.

You'd want to think that it's that back injury causing his terrible form at the moment and not anything else. After 15 seasons and 336 games surely he has enough integrity to not be deliberate in what's happening out there. I guess origin form will tell us.

 

[mickqld]

Outplayed by Hughes last week and trindall this week.

And Ilias this week. Of the 3 Ilias was downright dogsh*t yet still out pointed DCE.

 

[Brookie1973]

And Ilias this week. Of the 3 Ilias was downright dogsh*t yet still out pointed DCE.

not sure I like his chances this week either.

 

[Wombat64]

Monday Buzz: Manly Sea Eagles schedule isn’t the issue, the real problem is Daly Cherry-Evans’ captaincy​

Manly coach Anthony Seibold is blaming the NRL schedule for the Sea Eagles’ poor form.
This is a cop out. His real problem is veteran halfback Daly Cherry-Evans and emerging concerns over his position as captain. More to that in a moment. As for Seibold’s rant, Manly had five of its first seven games at home – a luxury some other clubs would kill for. Cronulla has two home matches in the first 10 rounds. Plus they’ve been to Las Vegas, Townsville, Perth, Canberra and Newcastle.

Not once has Craig Fitzgibbon complained about it.

But back to Manly and the real issue that threatens to derail their season. It’s their leadership.

This club, in the opening few rounds of the competition, was being spoken about as a top-four contender and a genuine premiership threat.

Then DCE announces he’s getting out of there.

He says he has nowhere to go but just doesn’t want to play for Manly from the end of the season.

It is a story that has rocked the club more than anyone cares to admit.

Since the announcement they have beaten bottom-of-the-table Parramatta at home but lost three straight to Storm, the Sharks and St George Illawarra, two of those at Fortress Brookvale, where they were once almost unbeatable.

There is something wrong within this playing group that’s more serious than a five and six-day turnaround.

The team is not gelling. The spirit and comradeship that was so evident in those early rounds is no longer there.

Surely this has something to do with DCE.

Now imagine this scenario.

Manly are in trouble during a game and the opposition scores. They need some stirring words from the captain to lift.

Do they even listen? They’re playing alongside a guy who has said doesn’t want to be there with them next year.

How is this going to motivate the team?

You can tell this is happening during their games. They look dispirited.

Look how Canterbury reacts to Stephen Crichton’s leadership or any of the great captains around the NRL who are committed to their club long term.

Cherry-Evans himself is struggling. Not one try-assist since round three.

It’s so easy to blame the schedule or the absence of champion fullback Tom Trbojevic.

But the players do not appear to be rallying behind the skipper.

He is a club captain with a broken relationship with the Sea Eagles management.

This has got to change before the season slips away on them.

Either Jake or Tom Trbojevic should take over as captain.

They’d both die for the club.

You just know that the team is going to play for them.

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

Monday Buzz: Manly Sea Eagles schedule isn’t the issue, the real problem is Daly Cherry-Evans’ captaincy​

Manly coach Anthony Seibold is blaming the NRL schedule for the Sea Eagles’ poor form.
This is a cop out. His real problem is veteran halfback Daly Cherry-Evans and emerging concerns over his position as captain. More to that in a moment. As for Seibold’s rant, Manly had five of its first seven games at home – a luxury some other clubs would kill for. Cronulla has two home matches in the first 10 rounds. Plus they’ve been to Las Vegas, Townsville, Perth, Canberra and Newcastle.

Not once has Craig Fitzgibbon complained about it.

But back to Manly and the real issue that threatens to derail their season. It’s their leadership.

This club, in the opening few rounds of the competition, was being spoken about as a top-four contender and a genuine premiership threat.

Then DCE announces he’s getting out of there.

He says he has nowhere to go but just doesn’t want to play for Manly from the end of the season.

It is a story that has rocked the club more than anyone cares to admit.

Since the announcement they have beaten bottom-of-the-table Parramatta at home but lost three straight to Storm, the Sharks and St George Illawarra, two of those at Fortress Brookvale, where they were once almost unbeatable.

There is something wrong within this playing group that’s more serious than a five and six-day turnaround.

The team is not gelling. The spirit and comradeship that was so evident in those early rounds is no longer there.

Surely this has something to do with DCE.

Now imagine this scenario.

Manly are in trouble during a game and the opposition scores. They need some stirring words from the captain to lift.

The team is in a huddle behind the posts and DCE starts barking out orders trying to inspire his teammates.​

Do they even listen? They’re playing alongside a guy who has said doesn’t want to be there with them next year.

How is this going to motivate the team?

You can tell this is happening during their games. They look dispirited.

Look how Canterbury reacts to Stephen Crichton’s leadership or any of the great captains around the NRL who are committed to their club long term.

Cherry-Evans himself is struggling. Not one try-assist since round three.

It’s so easy to blame the schedule or the absence of champion fullback Tom Trbojevic.

But the players do not appear to be rallying behind the skipper.

He is a club captain with a broken relationship with the Sea Eagles management.

This has got to change before the season slips away on them.

Either Jake or Tom Trbojevic should take over as captain.

They’d both die for the club.

You just know that the team is going to play for them.

Useless Buzz just copies and pastes Silvertails for his article

 

[Dion Johnson]

Monday Buzz: Manly Sea Eagles schedule isn’t the issue, the real problem is Daly Cherry-Evans’ captaincy​

Manly coach Anthony Seibold is blaming the NRL schedule for the Sea Eagles’ poor form.
This is a cop out. His real problem is veteran halfback Daly Cherry-Evans and emerging concerns over his position as captain. More to that in a moment. As for Seibold’s rant, Manly had five of its first seven games at home – a luxury some other clubs would kill for. Cronulla has two home matches in the first 10 rounds. Plus they’ve been to Las Vegas, Townsville, Perth, Canberra and Newcastle.

Not once has Craig Fitzgibbon complained about it.

But back to Manly and the real issue that threatens to derail their season. It’s their leadership.

This club, in the opening few rounds of the competition, was being spoken about as a top-four contender and a genuine premiership threat.

Then DCE announces he’s getting out of there.

He says he has nowhere to go but just doesn’t want to play for Manly from the end of the season.

It is a story that has rocked the club more than anyone cares to admit.

Since the announcement they have beaten bottom-of-the-table Parramatta at home but lost three straight to Storm, the Sharks and St George Illawarra, two of those at Fortress Brookvale, where they were once almost unbeatable.

There is something wrong within this playing group that’s more serious than a five and six-day turnaround.

The team is not gelling. The spirit and comradeship that was so evident in those early rounds is no longer there.

Surely this has something to do with DCE.

Now imagine this scenario.

Manly are in trouble during a game and the opposition scores. They need some stirring words from the captain to lift.

The team is in a huddle behind the posts and DCE starts barking out orders trying to inspire his teammates.​

Do they even listen? They’re playing alongside a guy who has said doesn’t want to be there with them next year.

How is this going to motivate the team?

You can tell this is happening during their games. They look dispirited.

Look how Canterbury reacts to Stephen Crichton’s leadership or any of the great captains around the NRL who are committed to their club long term.

Cherry-Evans himself is struggling. Not one try-assist since round three.

It’s so easy to blame the schedule or the absence of champion fullback Tom Trbojevic.

But the players do not appear to be rallying behind the skipper.

He is a club captain with a broken relationship with the Sea Eagles management.

This has got to change before the season slips away on them.

Either Jake or Tom Trbojevic should take over as captain.

They’d both die for the club.

You just know that the team is going to play for them.

The senior leadership group have been poor for the last four weeks of football, no inspirational moments that can get the team back winning after the Storm flogged them at home, Turbo is the best chance this squad have got to get back winning, he should be captain for me.

 

[Carl]

The senior leadership group have been poor for the last four weeks of football, no inspirational moments that can get the team back winning after the Storm flogged them at home, Turbo is the best chance this squad have got to get back winning, he should be captain for me.

Olakau’atu had a bad game last week but was good before that.

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

I'd consider making Croker captain but I am a little concerned about his future.

 

[Frogz]

Brooks or Garrick (If winger) for captain. Someone new and someone who plays 80 minutes.

 

[LeonardCohen]

That Buzz article reads like it was written by a 5 year old. It’s the most basic logic and derived from a fairy tale. The players aren’t that fickle. Ivan Cleary was leaving the Warriors long before he took them all the way to the 2011 GF.

These guys are men playing a tough contact sport. They don’t get all deep and meaningful and emotional in the middle of a game because the guy with the big neck won’t be there next year.

Our form slump has coincided with a host of injuries; one to our best player and the others to forward stocks that were already thin. That’s not a narrative that sells papers though.

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

Useless Buzz just copies and pastes Silvertails for his article

That Buzz article reads like it was written by a 5 year old.

I rest my case

 

[Frogz]

That Buzz article reads like it was written by a 5 year old. It’s the most basic logic and derived from a fairy tale. The players aren’t that fickle. Ivan Cleary was leaving the Warriors long before he took them all the way to the 2011 GF.

These guys are men playing a tough contact sport. They don’t get all deep and meaningful and emotional in the middle of a game because the guy with the big neck won’t be there next year.

Our form slump has coincided with a host of injuries; one to our best player and the others to forward stocks that were already thin. That’s not a narrative that sells papers though.

I wonder why none of the journos have interviewed Isaac Moses?... He has them scared i think. They just keep banging on about us.

 

[God]

The problem is when considering a captain we don't have a tough level headed take no **** and lead by example leader in this group which is part of the issue.

 

[Scorpio]

The problem is when considering a captain we don't have a tough level headed take no **** and lead by example leader in this group which is part of the issue.

In my opinion it would be Tom, but he's unfortunately limited by his injuries.

 

[LeonardCohen]

I wonder why none of the journos have interviewed Isaac Moses?... He has them scared i think. They just keep banging on about us.

Yep. When you dig just below the surface, it’s clear that the Telegraph and NRL360’s job is to pick the 2-3 worst performed clubs over the weekend and without defaming anyone, manufacture a narrative with a little spice that can be used to explain their failings. We’ve been telling stories since we were cavemen. It excites people and it sells.

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

Yep. When you dig just below the surface, it’s clear that the Telegraph and NRL360’s job is to pick the 2-3 worst performed clubs over the weekend and without defaming anyone, manufacture a narrative with a little spice that can be used to explain their failings. We’ve been telling stories since we were cavemen. It excites people and it sells.

It's a simple formula. Commentators need drama and controversy, so every little tiff or mishap is blown up in the hope it will become compulsive viewing.

Same principle as the match commentators gushing about this or that player is the greatest ever. Really? I'd better keep watching then!

 

[Rafferty]

That Buzz article reads like it was written by a 5 year old. It’s the most basic logic and derived from a fairy tale. The players aren’t that fickle. Ivan Cleary was leaving the Warriors long before he took them all the way to the 2011 GF.

These guys are men playing a tough contact sport. They don’t get all deep and meaningful and emotional in the middle of a game because the guy with the big neck won’t be there next year.

Our form slump has coincided with a host of injuries; one to our best player and the others to forward stocks that were already thin. That’s not a narrative that sells papers though.

You may be right, but I’m not so certain the whole situation hasn’t had an effect, I personally think it has and I think it’s pretty clear to see.

There are questions surrounding Daly’s form, is he carrying a back problem or an injury concern? I don’t know, but just listening to his remarks in the presser last week, when asked about Galvin, his answer gave away plenty about his own head space.

To say the situation isn’t having some kind of effect on the playing group, because their men playing a tough contact sport………………his our captain and his on field effort is noticed by the group, his leadership looks off to me (no wonder), you can see the dynamics around him and his captaincy are under stress, it’s going to get worse before it gets better.

I don’t know if he’ll get picked for origin this year, but can you imagine if he goes into that arena and plays out of his skin, or what happens if he doesn’t get picked, struggles to deal with it and what’s transpiring in club land, there’s plenty to play out over the next few months, can’t really say I’m looking forward to any of it.