Sea Eagles Forge Ahead: Navigating the Post-Daly Cherry-Evans Era
The departure of a generational halfback is often a seismic event in rugby league, leaving a void that can take years, even decades, to fill. For clubs like Parramatta, the period between Peter Sterling and Mitchell Moses saw a revolving door of No. 7s, with names like Gary Freeman, Chris Sandow, and Tulsen Tollett passing through in a 26-year span. Similarly, Ricky Stuart’s long shadow lingered in Canberra, and Andrew Johns’ impact in Newcastle was equally profound. Brisbane’s Allan Langer set an impossibly high benchmark. The Melbourne Storm, however, stand as a notable exception, seamlessly transitioning Jahrome Hughes into the role vacated by Cooper Cronk, leading to a premiership within three years.
Now, the Manly Sea Eagles face their own significant transition. Daly Cherry-Evans, the club’s longest-serving player and their last premiership-winning No. 7, is set to join the Sydney Roosters as a marquee signing for the 2026 NRL season. In his place, stepping onto the field in the iconic maroon and white for the first time against the South Sydney Rabbitohs in Mudgee, is 32-year-old late-bloomer Jamal Fogarty.
Manly coach Anthony Seibold is clear that the club’s approach isn’t about replacing Cherry-Evans directly. “We didn’t really approach it as replacing ‘Chez’, because as halfbacks, they’re just such different players,” Seibold stated. He acknowledges the immense legacy of Cherry-Evans, who holds the record for most games played for the club. However, Seibold highlights Fogarty’s distinct skillset as a playmaker. “Jamal brings a different skill set as a playmaker,” Seibold explained. “He’s been a leader at the Raiders and at the Titans, and we deliberately went after Jamal with an eye to what we need at the club over the next couple of seasons.”
Fogarty himself has been candid about the challenge, acknowledging at the start of Manly’s pre-season that he is “not as talented as Daly.” Seibold, however, sees parallels between Cherry-Evans’ dynamic style and the freewheeling approach of his new halves partner, Sam Walker, at the Roosters.
Fogarty: Experience and Game Management to Fill the Gap
Jamal Fogarty’s journey to Manly is marked by significant experience and a career-best year with the Canberra Raiders, where he guided them to the 2025 minor premiership. This seasoned game management could prove invaluable in filling the void left by a champion like Cherry-Evans. While the Sea Eagles have been lauded for their entertaining and enterprising style under Seibold’s three seasons in charge, they have only reached the finals once during that period.
Despite the challenges, Seibold remains optimistic about Manly’s prospects. He pointed to their 12-12 record last season, a performance that in many years would have been enough to secure a finals berth, even with the distractions of the Cherry-Evans contract saga and a raft of injuries that exposed their forward depth, placing his own future under scrutiny.
New captain Tom Trbojevic and his brother Jake will be sidelined for Sunday’s trial against the Rabbitohs. However, they are expected to be fit and ready for Round 1 against Fogarty’s former club, the Raiders. As the post-Cherry-Evans era officially begins, all eyes will be on the fresh face at Manly’s scrum base, a position that has been a constant for the club for 15 years.
A Deliberate Recruitment Strategy
Seibold elaborated on the recruitment process following Cherry-Evans’ decision. “Looking at the market once Chez made his decision, we were deliberate in terms of what we needed,” he said. “We needed a good organising half. We needed a really good kicking game. Those are Jamal’s two biggest strengths, along with just how professional and committed he is.”
The coach anticipates that the team’s attack will naturally evolve. “Our attack will evolve, that’s only natural,” Seibold noted. “We need to be an adaptable team. Last year, we beat five of the top seven teams, which is as good a record as anybody. But we need to build more consistency into our game, and I feel like Jamal’s skill set helps bring a bit more structure to our game.”
While subtle changes are expected, Seibold stressed that the core strengths remain. “There will be subtle changes, but we’ve still got the same weapons, we’ve still got speed out wide with guys like [Jason] Saab and Tolu Koula, and we still need to make sure we unlock them.” The Sea Eagles are poised to embark on a new chapter, with Fogarty at the helm, aiming to blend his experience with the existing talent to build greater consistency and challenge for finals football.
