Crawley Files: Daly Cherry-Evans could take some lessons from Kieran Foran on the way to deal with negotiatio
DALY Cherry-Evans is so popular at Manly that its rumoured someone gave him a new nickname over the summer Yoko Ono as in the person who broke up The Beatles.
That was before Cherry-Evans was even snapped heading to Cronulla with his partner Vessa and manager Gavin Orr to talk about his future, less than two weeks before Fridays opening round grudge match against Parramatta.
Exactly a week before that Cherry-Evans checked himself out of the Gold Coast after a similar whirlwind romance.
What will be interesting to see is the reception the star halfback gets when he runs onto the field.
Not just from his own players, but fans from both clubs.
t was only a year ago Cherry-Evans was being talked up as the man most likely to replace Cameron Smith as the next Queensland and Australian captain.
Today it seems the entire rugby league world has turned against him in his chase for money.
Now Cherry-Evans has to win them back, starting with his football.
In the wake of Manlys decision to take their offer off the table on Wednesday, social media went into meltdown with overwhelming support for Manly management for showing the guts to cut Cherry-Evans loose out of respect for their club.
Even fans from his most likely destinations at Cronulla and the Gold Coast were in uproar over the shameless way he has publicly gone about his business.
You are entitled to wonder just how much damage this has done to Cherry-Evans long-term reputation, and whether he will be a happy man when he finally gets the chance to sit down to count his millions.
What also makes his predicament even worse is the way some of the other players in this ongoing soap opera have handled themselves throughout a process that gets uglier by the day.
Kieran Foran has played it out like the man his teammates say he is.
His management are adamant that it was never about money, but trying to make sure his decision was based on what club could make him the best footballer.
Its understood he had questions about where Manly was heading, but he always showed respect to the club that gave him his start.
They say he even refused to talk money with rivals clubs until he made a decision either way on whether he was staying or going, and he was filthy when it was leaked hed decided on Parramatta.
But while Cherry-Evans released a statement saying he would shortly make a decision on his decision after completing due diligence, Foran didnt say a word publicly.
Privately, those close to him say he has been living in a world of hurt, which was most evident at the Manly season launch when Foran stood on stage looking completely embarrassed by the attention.
The fact Manly have not withdrawn their offer for Foran, like they did with Cherry-Evans, also highlights a significant difference in the way they have both gone about their negotiations.
And while Anthony Watmough has had plenty to say since leaving Manly, the interview he did with Channel Nine on Monday night was telling.
It suggested Watmough had thought again about showing more respect to the club that helped get him where he is today.
Not just in league, but in life.
The word is Parramatta coach Brad Arthur put him straight on that.
No one will ever truly know the bitterness brothers Brett and Glenn Stewart must have felt after Glenn was basically overlooked for a new contract so Manly could save enough money to try and keep Cherry-Evans. But the way Brett and Glenn have gone about their parting is probably the best insight into their character.
Glenn moved on with dignity and class.
Meanwhile, Brett stayed at Manly and you can bet he will continue to be a matchwinner, saving his best for the biggest and toughest games like Fridays.
Which takes us back to Cherry-Evans, a fine footballer, but what does the future now hold?
While he has been largely blamed for this circus, Im betting it wasnt Cherry-Evans who called Fox Sports News on his way to Cronulla recently to get the money shot of him and his partner meeting the Sharks.
So who was responsible for leaking that info, and has Cherry-Evans been given the best advice along the way? These are questions Cherry-Evans should be asking as he looks to answer how to fix this mess.
And in reference to the Yoko Ono nickname, its probably worth noting that only a couple of years back ex-Beatle Paul McCartney finally buried his rift with John Lennons partner when he said in an interview that she certainly didnt break the group up, the group was breaking up. But that took the best part of 50 years for McCartney to admit.
Manly dont have half a century to get over this with their new season kicking off on Friday.
Cherry-Evans long-term reputation can still be saved but how he handles himself from this point on will decide that.
On and off the field.
