The Manly Sea Eagles have been by an early season bombshell, with veteran halfback Daly Cherry-Evans reportedly telling the club he will not play for the side in 2026.
The now 36-year-old has played 332 NRL games for the Sea Eagles since making his debut back in 2011.
While he almost left the club at one point to join the Gold Coast Titans before backflipping, it has appeared destiny in recent years that he would finish his career on the Northern Beaches of Sydney.
That now seems unlikely, with The Sydney Morning Herald reporting he has informed Manly he won't play on at the Sea Eagles in 2026, but is undecided on whether he will retire from the sport or not.
Recent reports have suggested Manly were only willing to offer him a one-year deal, whereas Cherry-Evans wanted two.
The story then exploded on Monday evening, with NRL 360 learning live on air from Manly powerbrokers Scott Penn and Tony Mestrov that the club will go back to Cherry-Evans with a renewed two-year deal.
The duo also said they had not officially been told by Cherry-Evans that he would leave the club at the end of the season, per the NRL 360 on Fox Sports report.
โI just spoke to the owner and chairman Scott Penn, who was surprised with the reports and said, they have not been officially told what has been reported elsewhere that Cherry-Evans is leaving,โ Phil Rothfield said on the show.
โHe said Manly were always under the impression that it was a one-year offer to him, but there was no hurry and we will chat when you are comfortable.
โHe confirmed that they will now offer him two years and do everything possible to keep him at Manly.โ
Coach Anthony Seibold recently revealed on SEN Radio that the club had yet to kick off discussions with the halfback as he was undecided if he wanted to play on, despite the rumours of him wanting a two-year deal.
A long-term Australian and Queensland representative, the club captain is also yet to determine on whether he will retire from representative rugby league this season.
As it stands, the St George Illawarra Dragons and Dolphins have reportedly expressed interest in the halfback, with the NRL also reportedly setting his base market value at $400,000 for next year, although it's likely he will earn far more than that if he does continue to play on.
Manly have Joey Walsh waiting in the wings, and he will now likely come into the side for 2026, with his development needing to be fast tracked over the remainder of this season.
Cherry-Evans has played 21 Tests and 25 Origins to go with his 332 NRL games.
