Finally, the truth about Daly Cherry-Evans and Queensland

But that does not mean that nothing is said behind closed doors. Some Queensland players in the past did not like Cherry-Evans. It's a fact.

Two of the most respected people sitting there, in the Queensland Hall of Fame, need to correctly explain Daly's dilemma.

Being selected for this match was a great relief for him. He never thought he would return there

Trent Barrett

Former captain and current Maroons coach, Darren Lockyer, confirms Cherry-Evans' suspicion that he will be back. first struggled to integrate into a team of strong personalities like Cameron Smith, Billy Slater, Thurston and Cronk.

"Origins are won and lost by character," says Lockyer. "It all depends on mental toughness rather than skill, there's no doubt that Cameron, Johnathan, Cooper and Billy have had a good influence on who played on this team, you can trust their judgment because They know what works and what does not work With the guys we had in our spine, it was hard for Daly when he came in. For him and someone else. "

Ask former captain and coach Mal Meninga if Cherry-Evans has struggled to integrate into the Maroons culture. He said: "He fought – but he wanted to be part of it too, you ask the players, he gets along well with them, but he struggled to adapt to what we wanted to do. more mature now.It probably understands what it means to be part of a team; how to work with others.

"We are all different characters and personalities, but what matters is how you mix in a team environment. Everyone comes from different backgrounds, and has different ways of doing things, but it depends on the willingness and courage to integrate them.

"Much of the animosity [from supporters]] stems from his decision around the Gold Coast. [When Cherry-Evans backflipped on a deal with the Titans to stay at the Sea Eagles] .Everything like that. But enough c & # 39; is enough … It's time to let his foot speak … Poor fellow, he was ostracized, is not it? "

Well, he was it. Cherry-Evans and his management have manipulated the Sea Eagles, the Titans, the media, the system to turn a four-year contract from $ 4.4 million into a $ 10 million deal for eight years in Manly. Smart work – but it will not win you a lot of friends.

A few weeks ago, former teammate Manly Anthony Watmough looked like a bull in a porcelain store when he said that Cherry-Evans won the premier of 2011.

As dynamic as Watmough's remarks on an obscure podcast were, they simply confirmed what had been denied but known for years about Cherry-Evans: that Manly's top players did not like him. Manly coach, Geoff Toovey, will not go too far in the discussion, but offers this: "When you have a group of 30 players together, be it sport, work or girls, there will be a habit as long as you respect what they bring to the field. "

Cherry-Evans' drunken fight with teammate Jackson Hastings following a match and a trip to a striptease club in Gladstone set off an old fire.The club sided with their captain, in part, no doubt, because Hastings was much more expensive than the $ 10 million superstar on a long-term contract

Sea Eagles coach Trent Barrett has been Cherry-Evans' most pbadionate defender in the last two years Barrett says his halfback is a good company , good to have a quiet beer with .He says he's impressed by his resilience.

"He has had to learn to be, "says Barrett. "It does not leave him too worried but I know deep down, behind the facade that we can all put, that the criticism hurts." It's his greatest badet: his mental toughness. I can read it and find out when it's hard – but it's very hard, and many people do not see how hard it has worked in the past two years on its game and its leadership in this area. He sincerely wants the best for the club.We gave him the captaincy for a reason. "

Barrett understands what it's like to feel the heat of the fans. He wore a lot of it when he was at the Dragons while they were trying to win a post of prime minister. Perhaps he can empathize with Cherry-Evans.

"He puts a lot on it, whether it's true or not," said Barrett. "We know what's going on in our four walls, we've had a lot of shit this season and we do not have a lot of senior players, so he had to carry a lot of weight."

"Being selected for this match was a big relief for him. He never thought that he would go back there. "

Set aside if you want to have a beer with Cherry-Evans, if you can calm the politician way as he talks to the media, he should" He honored his handshake and went to Titans.

What matters most is knowing whether he can play and, as such, he has not yet proven himself at the Origin level

. Breeders Gene Miles and Lockyer were undecided until last Sunday night about choosing him. Cherry-Evans was too anxious to answer Walters' phone calls because he was anticipating bad news. He does not realize how close he was to hearing it.

On Sunday, Walters told Ben that Hunt would stay in the middle distance. Around the same time, other well-placed players in the QRL were Ash Taylor, the young, half-time named gun, with Hunt moving on the bench and Cherry-Evans completely forgotten

. – as he was with Slater's omission for the game last year – or if the trio was really undecided.

Be that as it may, it shows how much Queensland is still uncertain if Cherry-Evans is their halfback of the future. Lockyer does not run away from the issue.

"Yes, we are torn apart," he says. "Ash Taylor has entered the picture, winning at this game is a priority, but so is our future.There are three guys in the mix: DCE for this game, Ash is not Not far away and Michael Morgan when he comes back.The jersey is there to be caught.Nobody owns it right now.DCE gets a crack in a game, but when we sit down at the selection table next year, the three guys will be in the picture. "

This is not a resounding endorsement, although the time has come for Cherry-Evans.

In 2013, when Meninga was training the Maroons, he was considered the perfect "14" – the modern label of utility on the bench. "We anointed him," says Meninga.

What he could not do, was to take advantage of his two chances as a half-substitute – in the second game in 2014 and 2015 – when Cronk was injured. Cherry-Evans bore the blame for these losses as Mitchell Pearce wore most of the NSWs.

"What people forget, is that in 2015, he had a shoulder problem, which NSW was targeting very well," Meninga says. "He played, he played hard." Externally, he was dynamited.

"But that's when Michael Morgan came in and we had to make a decision: if Cooper comes back in Footy team, is Michael or Daly our 14? I called Daly and I had a conversation with him. Morgan was robust in defense. He got the nod based on that. But Daly has managed it well. It's three years old. I listened to how he talks all week. He has definitely matured.

Opportunity Strikes For years, Smith has controlled the Queensland attack from the dummy half.There is a new desire for a really dominant halfback now that Smith has retired from footy

Another of those murmurings about Cherry-Evans that did not fit Queensland's configuration was his inability to play alongside Thurston, to hinder a player who would one day become an Immortal

This time, Cherry-Evans can take control.It's his team to run.His game of kicking and game management can perfectly complement the free play of five-eighth Cameron Munster.

"They are all two of the opportunistic players, "says Barrett." Their offside football is as good as anybody else. I want NSW to win, but if they get a good position on the pitch and go ahead, they will be hard to defend. I would have liked to see them with Kalyn Ponga. Now, there is a strike. "

We will see soon if Cherry-Evans can put at least one arm in the No. 7 sweater that is in play. He'll never have a better chance, in a match that will not decide the series.

"The past is the past," says Lockyer. "I'm not saying that he's not playing well, it's over. But playing in Suncorp, for Queensland, in Billy's last game, he should enjoy the moment and be himself. "

Lockyer laughs

" I'm as interested as anyone to see how he's doing. "19659046] Andrew Webster" src = "https://static.ffx.io/images/$width_80,$height_80/t_crop_fill/t_sharpen,q_auto,e_auto/e7c39e9c6500f15bfbd4cbba82980443df7dc859" />