Daly Cherry-Evans left to make big call on NRL future ahead of Manly Sea Eagles milestone
The Manly Sea Eagles halfback will surpass a special record against the Panthers.
No strict deadline has been set on whether Daly Cherry-Evans decides to play on in his bid to become only the second player in NRL history to reach 400 games. The Sea Eagles captain will surpass Cliffy Lyons' record of 309 games for the club when he leads the team out against premiers Penrith at 4 Pines Park on Saturday night.
With another year to run on his current contract, the durable No.7 could be sitting on around 360 NRL appearances by the end of 2025. That would leave him tantalising close to the magical 400-game mark.
Melbourne's Cameron Smith is the only player in the game's history to reach 400 matches, retiring after 430 appearances in a Storm jersey. Lyons has backed Cherry-Evans to challenge Smith's record, while Matty Johns declared this week: "I reckon he will go past 400. He is playing better than ever.
"I'll be surprised if he doesn’t push 450. I reckon he could. I see another two or three years in him." The 400-game goal is more realistic than hunting down Smith - if the Manly veteran plays another season or two beyond his current deal.
Manly open to extending Daly Cherry-Evans' stay
It's understood Manly management is open to extending Cherry-Evans' stay at the club but will leave the final decision in their skipper's hands and won't be imposing a strict deadline. CEO Tony Mestrov told Yahoo Sport Australia: "Daly is obviously one of the greats of this club and is still playing good football as he heads into the back end of his career.
"The outpouring of support and love for him as he prepares to go past Cliffy's record only re-affirms what he means to Manly. There has been speculation about him playing on beyond next year but there have been no talks on that front.
"We are letting Daly concentrate on his football and when he feels the time is right, we will discuss what happens after the 2025 season. We will conduct those talks in private and not through the media."
It's understood the Sea Eagles would be open to at least a one-year contract extension, which would see Cherry-Evans wind up his stellar career at the end of 2026 at age 37. The club is also mindful of the need to blood the next generation of playmakers to ensure a smooth transition when DCE retires. The Queensland Origin veteran could decide to pull the plug when his current deal expires.
