Origin II Selection LIVE: Maroons Captain Daly Cherry-Evans Facing Possible Omission by Billy Slater

Billy Slater has reportedly benched captain Daly Cherry-Evans for Origin II in Perth, marking the first time a skipper has been dropped mid-series since 1996.

According to reports from NewsCorp, the Maroons’ loss in Game One at Suncorp Stadium – their first consecutive defeat at the venue since 1998 – could signify the end of Cherry-Evans’ career in the Origin arena. He is expected to be replaced at halfback by Tom Dearden.

Cherry-Evans has been a regular in the Origin arena since Game Three in 2018, serving as the Maroons’ halfback throughout his appearances. He was handed the captaincy by then-coach Kevin Walters in 2019, succeeding Greg Inglis.

In comments to Fox Sports, Walters noted that this decision would be “one of the biggest a coach has had to make at that level in a long time.”

“It’s a massive call … maybe last year’s decision to replace Tedesco with Edwards was significant from a New South Wales perspective,” he said.

“However, from a Queensland viewpoint, it’s hard to imagine a decision of this magnitude being made for many years.”

Trevor Gillmeister was the last Maroons captain to be dropped mid-series. Following a convincing 3-0 series win in 1995, the Maroons suffered a 14-6 loss in the 1996 series opener. Coach Paul Vautin made an astonishing 10 changes for Game Two, with Walters himself coming off the bench to replace Michael Hancock. Ultimately, the Maroons were swept 3-0 in that series.

Walters admitted he didn’t possess the solution to the DCE dilemma, expressing relief that it wasn’t his decision to make.

“I’m glad Billy’s the coach and not me, because it’s a tough call,” he said.

“One way to look at it is to select DCE and play on. If we lose the series, then it’s over for the year and obviously DCE’s time would be finished too. Or the alternative is to drop him now and strive to win the next two matches. What’s the best combination of players for Queensland to achieve that? That’s the decision Billy and the selectors need to make.”

“I’m confident he has a solid support team providing him with good information, but ultimately, the decision rests with Billy. And it’s a challenging one; let’s not sugarcoat it.”