Shortly after the loss reports emerged he would need to show form for Manly to retain his spot. Bit of a leaky boat the Maroons camp.

He responded and had a blinder in a 34-6 demolition of the Broncos on the back-up three days later.

Despite that, he was suddenly auditioning for his position when Manly played the Knights.

When Manly blew a 16-0 halftime lead in that match, his cards were marked and he was gone.

On Friday night against the Titans, the decision seemed justified. Manly were awful in a 28-8 loss to the last-placed Titans.

More often, Cherry-Evans is starting to look every bit of his 36 years. The inside word is the Roosters have not been put off by his patchy run.

They want him for next year.

The club makes no apologies about their driving ethos that it is all about winning premierships.

Their Academy program, established in 2021, is starting to bear fruit, but the club’s powerbrokers still want to pounce on opportunities rather than sit back and wait.

And they think, in 2026, or at a push 2027, with Cherry-Evans and Sam Walker in the halves, it can happen.

A key motivating factor is the age of fullback James Tedesco. They desperately want to win one before he’s done because, once he’s gone, it will be hard to find a fullback of his quality.

The kind of guy who can win you one with the right people around him, just as they did in 2018 and 2019.

During 2025 many have praised the unheralded Sandon Smith and Hugo Savala for the job they’ve done in the halves for the Roosters, and questioned why the club would risk losing one or both of them just to have Cherry-Evans for a season, maximum two.

Smith at 22 Savala at 23 have ten years of first grade ahead of them. They won’t be inclined to sit on their backsides or in reserve grade, especially with Perth entering the competition in 2027 and PNG in 2028.

Halves are more precious than the ring in The Lord of the Rings. During the next two years, there’ll be a frenzy.

In Savala’s case there has been a romanticism attached to his story. The kid on a pittance of $85,000 a year who always wanted to play for the Roosters is thrown into first grade and does well.

To make extra cash he works as a bookmaker’s clerk for his dad at the races.

He’s a throwback to yesteryear, when players worked and played for their clubs on the weekend.

In the modern professional game, a bit of old school ignites the imagination and the memories. The good old days.

The truth is, the club believes Cherry-Evans is better equipped, even at his age, to drive them to a premiership next year, or the year after.

If they lose a youngster, so be it.

This is the club, after all, that jettisoned favourite son Mitch Pearce to sign Cooper Cronk from Melbourne.

It was a big call, and it delivered two titles.

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Cherry-Evans’ inevitable signing seems a big call too. In the cold light of day, it mightn’t be that big. It might be perfectly sensible.

Firstly, since making his NRL debut in the Manly premiership year of 2011, he has been nothing but the ultimate professional.

His fitness and preparation, week-in, week-out, year-in, year-out, is nothing short of remarkable and admirable.

Yes, Andrew Johns is right when he said with regards to Cherry-Evans that “father time is undefeated”. Father time might be staring over his shoulder but the performance against the Broncos proved there is fight left in the old dog.

Secondly, this season, the Roosters are sitting in eighth on the table with six wins and seven losses.

They have lost four games by six points or less.

If you are going to drive into the top four, where you have to be to win the lot, you must have halves that can ice those matches. They believe Cherry-Evans and Walker are those halves.

There is no room for romanticism.

Michael Chammas and Andrew “Joey” Johns dissect the upcoming NRL round, plus the latest footy news, results and analysis. Sign up for the Sin Bin newsletter.