The Roosters are still keen on Cherry-Evans despite questions about whether they’d backflip.
Daly Cherry-Evans’ expected arrival at the Roosters will reportedly coincide with Cooper Cronk’s exit, although it’s been stressed the two are not related. Speaking on ‘100% Footy’ this week on Channel 9, leading journalist Michael Chammas reported the Roosters are still expected to sign Cherry-Evans for 2026.
Questions had emerged about whether the Roosters would get cold feet on DCE considering the form of their young halves this year. But Chammas reported that Cherry-Evans will be wearing the tricolours next season.
The 36-year-old was reportedly seeking a two-year extension from Manly, but Carayannis revealed it’ll likely only be a one-year deal at the Roosters. Chammas said Cherry-Evans will then transition into a coaching role after 2026.
My understanding is it’s a one-year deal. He will announce that later in the year,” Chammas said. “It’ll have a one-year (deal) continuing on as a coach. “Danny (Weidler) last week spoke about how Daly Cherry-Evans will move into a coaching role once he retires.”
Chammas also revealed that Roosters officials don’t expect Cronk to continue in his role as a part-time halves consultant past this season. “This is unrelated, but it looks like Cooper Cronk’s time at the club is coming to an end. My understanding is that he has been working as a halves consultant there for a number of years since retiring,” Chammas said.
“He wants to move in a different direction. He has different interests in life around the corporate world, and at the moment he is struggling to make commitment and time around the Roosters. The club is aware of his feeling and it looks like his time at the club will come to an end as Daly arrives.”
Questions around Cooper Cronk’s future in Roosters role
Cherry-Evans’ coaching role will likely be as a halves specialist, meaning there won’t be a need for both him and champion No.7 Cronk at the club. Cronk won four premierships with the Melbourne Storm (two of which were later stripped), before moving to the Roosters and winning two more.
There were rumblings in 2023 that Cronk was set to depart his role as a halves coach amid the Roosters’ desire to shake things up. But that proved to be untrue, with head-coach Trent Robinson rubbishing the reports.
“Any other reports are just a long list of hearsay that’s been going on,” Robinson said at the time. “I don’t even know where they’re from … All of my staff that are here this year will be here next year. That’s pretty clear.”
Speaking back in March amid the initial reports that Cherry-Evans would be offered a coaching role at the Roosters for when he eventually retires, swimming great and NRL fanatic James Magnussen questioned what it would mean for Cronk. Speaking on SEN radio alongside former NRL player Justin Horo, Magnussen said: “Will he get a coaching job at the Roosters when they have Cooper Cronk doing the halves coaching? Or do they say to Cooper your time is done now, give him the punt, and bring DCE in? Or is he a TV guy now?”
