Sea Eagles down Eels as Cherry-Evans hits back at critics

Daly Cherry-Evans capped off one of the most turbulent weeks of his career with a composed performance to guide Manly to a 26-12 win over the Eels at 4 Pines Park on Sunday afternoon.

Amid a backdrop of media scrutiny and speculation over his future, Cherry-Evans was greeted by cheers from the Manly faithful and repaid their support with a steady display, finishing with 622 kicking metres and steering the Sea Eagles to their third win of the year.

“There was obviously a bit of extra motivation,” Cherry-Evans said post-match.

“You want a week like this to end with a win.

“Sometimes you’ve got to put your ego aside and just focus on the job at hand, and I thought we did that really well today.”

The Manly skipper addressed the off-field tension more candidly in his post-game press conference, claiming he had been targeted by an “ugly and nasty” smear campaign following the announcement of his departure.

NRL Round 4 highlights: Sea Eagles v Eels

“I know where it’s come from, but it’s not appropriate to talk about it,” Cherry-Evans said.

“There was a lot said after the announcement.

“It felt like it could’ve ended early in the week, but clearly, more conversations were happening outside of the ones between the club and me.

“That’s where I felt it got a bit ugly.”

Despite the off-field storm, the Sea Eagles came in as $1.15 NRL betting favourites.

Jason Saab scored inside 10 minutes after a slick shift down the right edge, while Lehi Hopoate finished off a brilliant team try just six minutes later following a clever offload from Tom Trbojevic.

A penalty goal after a Parramatta dropout blunder extended the lead to 12-0 at the break.

But the Sea Eagles’ joy was tempered by the loss of Trbojevic, who failed to return in the second half after a suspected MCL injury to his left knee.

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“We’re confident it’s not an ACL,” sideline reporter Jake Duke said on Fox League.

“But ‘Turbo’ did say he heard a pop.”

With reshuffles across the backline, Manly kept the pressure on.

Luke Brooks was involved in two second-half tries, setting up Cory Waddell and Tolu Koula on the left edge.

Hopoate, who shifted to fullback, was also influential.

Joe Ofahengaue marked his 200th NRL game with a try for the Eels, who added a late consolation through Shaun Lane — but it did little to mask their winless start to 2025.

For Cherry-Evans, it was a reminder of why the field remains his refuge.

“This is the time I love the most,” he said.

“Everything just disappears for a minute and I get to come out here and just play. I was a bit nervous… definitely relieved.”

Manly now turn their attention to a Round 5 clash with the Melbourne Storm, while Parramatta remain anchored to the bottom of the ladder and are $2.45 underdogs with the top online bookmakers against the Dragons.

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