Daly Cherry-Evans makes bombshell call on future

Daly Cherry-Evans will retire from playing at the end of the season, ending weeks of speculation about whether he would continue into next year.

The former grand final winner, ex-Origin representative and Test player has decided this campaign with the Roosters will be his last. Cherry-Evans, 37, only arrived at the club in February in shock circumstances after 15 years leading Manly, and there had been widespread talk that he might stay on for one more season in 2026.

That discussion only intensified after last weekend, when the experienced halfback kicked a field goal to seal a golden point victory for the Roosters over Newcastle.

But following a meeting with his advisor Joe Wehbe and Roosters chairman Nick Politis, Cherry-Evans has chosen to end his career at season’s end.

He is now expected to move into the Roosters’ coaching setup as a halves mentor.

The club is understood to be relaxed about the outcome, with highly rated youngster Tom Rodwell and utility option Hugo Savala in line to compete for the halves role alongside Sam Walker over the coming years.

Cherry-Evans leaves the game as one of the outstanding halfbacks of the NRL era, widely recognised for his ability to read matches, his fitness, longevity and his knack for landing match-winning field goals off either foot under pressure.

Cherry-Evans previously captained Manly and won the 2011 NRL Grand Final in his rookie season. He also claimed the Clive Churchill Medal as the best player in the 2013 NRL Grand Final. At representative level, he played for Queensland and captained the Maroons from 2019 to 2025, while also representing Australia and serving as a vice-captain in Tests. He co-captained the inaugural title-winning 9’s side in 2019, captained the Prime Ministers XIII in 2018 and 2022, and was vice-captain in 2023.

His career is also packed with major records. Cherry-Evans holds the marks for most games for Manly, most games for Manly as captain, most NRL games as halfback, most NRL tries as halfback, most field goals in the NRL era, and most consecutive games as a halfback at State of Origin level. He is also the oldest player in State of Origin history and the oldest Origin captain.