Daly Cherry-Evans offered the same response to two different reporters regarding his selection for the State of Origin, as uncertainty looms over the Maroons captain’s future in the squad.
The 36-year-old has faced significant criticism following a loss in Game One, with many advocating for Tom Dearden to take his place in the starting lineup for the upcoming match in Perth.
Cherry-Evans didn’t help his cause in the recent encounter on Thursday night, as his club, Manly, squandered a 16-0 advantage against the struggling Newcastle Knights.
During the post-match press conference, the Sea Eagles stalwart was queried on whether he believed he had done enough to secure a spot in Billy Slater’s Queensland team.
“I don’t know – we’ll find out on Sunday or Monday,” Cherry-Evans replied with a cheeky grin.
Daly Cherry-Evans addresses the media after Manly’s round 14 defeat. Nine
When prompted again about his selection status, Cherry-Evans reiterated that he was not paying attention to the external chatter.
“You always find out on Sunday or Monday,” he remarked.
“Honestly, I have no clue what’s being said out there.
“I’m aware that my name is generating quite a bit of discussion at the moment, but I’m focused on keeping my head down, training hard with the Manly boys, and being a good father.”
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Manly’s loss in golden point continues a concerning trend of poor results this season, as the team struggles to achieve consecutive wins.
Head coach Anthony Seibold acknowledged that they were outplayed by a tenacious Newcastle side, who faced discontent from their fans at half-time but rallied impressively to score 26 points in a remarkable second-half comeback.
“I’m obviously disappointed with the outcome,” he said.
“I believe we did enough to claim victory, but they fought hard in the second half and took advantage of some kicking contests.
“There’s a huge amount of spirit within our group… unfortunately, we weren’t up to the task in the second half to protect our lead, which is really disappointing.”
Manly is set to face the Gold Coast Titans next weekend, followed by a bye in round 16.
The Queensland team for Origin II is anticipated to be announced by Slater on Monday night or Tuesday morning.
Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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