The Sydney Roosters have descended on Bondi Beach for a community touch footy session, but the real talk was the massive “bombshell” move of Daly Cherry-Evans. For the rugby league-mad fans in PNG, the sight of the Manly legend in Tricolours is still sinking in, but Captain James Tedesco says the veteran halfback is already channeling a club legend.
Tedesco admitted that “it feels normal now but at the start it was a bit weird, a bit different” after DCE’s club-record 352 games for Manly. However, the skipper is already seeing shades of Cooper Cronk in the 36-year-old playmaker. Tedesco noted “similarities in terms of their leadership, their experience, their communication and their clarity in the way they talk to the team.”
Having a veteran like DCE steering the ship is a frightening prospect for rivals, especially after Tedesco’s Dally M-winning 2025 season.
“Having (Cherry-Evans) come into the team takes a lot of pressure off me as well, I’m not the main voice,” Tedesco said.
He acknowledged that while “everyone’s still going to compare” DCE to Cronk, the halfback “brings a lot of different aspects and different skills” to this new era.
The Roosters are primed for a premiership run with DCE and hooker Reece Robson joining the ranks. Tedesco also cleared the air on local product Hugo Savala, insisting there is “no tension at all” as Savala moves into a utility role.
Meanwhile, the club is preparing for one last big year with Mark Nawaqanitawase before his move to rugby union, with the skipper saying “he’d always be welcome back here, he loves the area and he loves the club.”
Source: Australian Associated Press
