Daly Cherry-Evans led Manly to a 26-12 win over Parramatta on Sunday, just six days after announcing his impending exit from the club.
What happened?
The Manly captain was given the biggest cheer by the crowd before the match and helped set up the first try.
He finished the game posing for photos with fans after a celebratory lap, while a banner was hoisted from the northern end of the ground reading “Daly Stay”.
The victory came at a serious cost, with Tom Trbojevic suffering a suspected medial ligament tear in his left knee.
Why it matters for Daly Cherry-Evans
Daly Cherry-Evans blamed “the media” for what he later told Nine was a “smear campaign” against him.
He claimed he had been hurt by the fallout after so long with the club.
What comes next?
Cherry-Evans admitted he had been sitting on the decision to leave for ages and the club knows that.
He will not sign a two-year deal worth $1.4 million from Manly and has requested a release from the club at the end of 2023.
The halfback has knocked back the deal and it has emerged that he requested a release from the club at the end of 2023.
Daly Cherry-Evans helped Manly move to second on the NRL ladder with their third win in four games.
He led the team to victory, forcing two line dropouts and setting up the first try.
The 36-year-old Cherry-Evans has been with Manly for 15 seasons and his departure has been met with a mixed reaction from fans.
Cherry-Evans told ABC that his mindset going into this year and how much he wants to win this year has not changed.
He said the speculation about his departure has got out of control and he knows who it’s coming from.
The Manly captain said the reception from the crowd was a welcome surprise after the fallout from his announcement.
He finished the game with a strong performance, helping his team to a convincing win over Parramatta.