The Roosters young gun could be pushed out of the club if the Manly veteran joins.
Hugo Savala says he wants to be the long-term halfback at the Roosters, despite the expected arrival of Manly and Queensland captain Daly Cherry-Evans next season. Roosters coach Trent Robinson admits his side are interested in DCE and while a deal is yet to be signed, most expect the Sea Eagles skipper to end up in Bondi in 2026 after announcing this is his last season at Manly.
Cherry-Evans will be 37 by the time the 2026 NRL season rolls around and the Roosters would likely have to at least match Manly’s $750,000 per season salary that DCE turned down to have his deal registered by the league. But the impressive recent form of Roosters halves Savala and Sandon Smith, coupled with the fact first-choice playmaker Sam Walker is set to return from injury in the coming weeks, has left many good judges questioning whether the Tri Colours actually need DCE.
League Immortal Andrew Johns suggested the arrival of DCE could be detrimental to the development of Savala and Smith, and that the Roosters could lose both young guns if the veteran joins. “The question for me is that you’ve got Sandon Smith and Hugo Savala, with how well they’re playing, you’ve got Sam Walker coming back – do they want to buy DCE? Johns asked on Nine’s Sunday Footy Show.
You’ve got these young blokes… They won’t stay. Hugo Savala and Sandon Smith have made their debuts, they are NRL players now. They don’t want to go to NSW Cup for two years, they will be moving on. I also don’t see Sam Walker and DCE being that good a partnership.
“DCE only plays on the right, you never see him on the left. Sammy Walker is a right-sided player and he’s instinctive and just plays and DCE is similar. You need a steady hand and to me, Walker and Savala together would really go well.”
Smith has already been linked with a move to NRL rivals North Queensland and Parramatta for next season, with veteran league reporter Phil ‘Buzz’ Rothfield reporting that the 22-year-old is set to leave after this season, due to the expected arrival of Cherry-Evans. “He was strongly favouring the Cowboys. (However) I’ve since learned Parramatta – now they know that Galvin’s not coming – will have a decent crack for Sandon Smith,” Rothfield said about Smith on NRL 360.
Hugo Savala wants to be Roosters halfback long-term
But Smith’s halves partner Savala says he wants to stay at the club and continue playing halfback, despite suggestions the lanky playmaker could be suited to a switch to the centres or back-row. At 193cm tall, the switch would make sense for Savala but the 23-year-old insists halfback is where he wants to play after providing a diplomatic response to questions about DCE’s expected arrival. It comes after Savala’s agent previously indicated the youngster could explore a loan deal if DCE arrives next season.
“I’ve always been a halfback since growing up,” he said. “When I was 19, I probably started growing a lot taller. I’d always been a smaller sort of player which is why I was a halfback, but now I’ve grown taller, I’ve got that same skillset.
“I love the Roosters, I want to stay here, I’m a halfback. I know I’m an NRL halfback. I haven’t really thought too much about it (Cherry-Evans’ potential arrival), I’m just trying to play the best football I can for the Sydney Roosters. I love this club.”
Savala was a standout for the severely-depleted Roosters as they thrashed an almost full-strength Cronulla 42-16 on Saturday night. He scored one try and set up three more, with his pin-point kicking a particular highlight in a huge win that proved Savala was an NRL-ready halfback and star of the future.
I felt as if I was in control of the game and in control of the boys,” Savala said. “We’ve had six months coming up to this point, and our kicking coaches are Nick Davis and Cooper Cronk. They’re the best you can learn off.
“I’m just all ears with them in training, learning every week off them. I did play a little bit of AFL when I was younger, which maybe helps. I was in the Swans academy until I was 14 or 15. I was ruck rover… picking up the scraps and playing a bit of rugby league in the AFL space.”
