There's no 'I' in Manly: DCE putting team first on his big night

At pains to ensure a personal milestone does not become a millstone for his team, Manly skipper Daly Cherry-Evans has made the build-up to Saturday’s clash against the Panthers all about the game at hand rather than the 309 that have gone before it.

Set to surpass Cliff Lyons as the most capped player in Sea Eagles history, Cherry-Evans is maintaining a steely focus on helping his team get back on track after losses to the Eels and Dragons took the gloss off their wins over the Rabbitohs and Roosters.

“I think having played my 300th in the later part of last season [Round 22], that game was definitely very emotional for me, and I could feel a bit of tension with the boys wanting to perform well for me," Cherry-Evans said.

"But because we had that game only recently, I think it has helped us understand that while it is a special moment for me and my family, the best thing we can do is just focus on winning the game of footy.

“The focus has been getting back on track and getting a win and I feel like having that milestone for myself last year has actually helped us prepare for this one better.

“I get there’s a milestone but I can promise you the priority around here has been on us playing our best footy because that’s what will make us feel really good on Saturday night.”

It’s that selfless approach that has helped the 35-year-old become one of the game’s most respected captains, an inspiration to teammates like Jake and Tom Trbojevic, who have spent their whole careers alongside Cherry-Evans at Brookvale.

“The captaincy sits really well with him, leadership comes naturally to him,” Jake told media on Wednesday.

“He stands up in the big moments for us and now he is our most capped player and most capped captain so that no doubt makes him a Manly great.

“He's got it all and he gets it done in all the big moments for us.

"He’s really calm, a good influence on the team. He is level-headed when things aren’t going great and he talks really well.”

Having taken over as captain in 2017, Cherry-Evans has now led the Sea Eagles 162 times, surpassing the record of another of the club’s favourite sons Jamie Lyon.

Among those 162 games at the helm for Lyon was the 2011 grand final, when a fresh-faced Cherry-Evans tasted premiership glory in just his 27th NRL match.

Two years later DCE was back on the biggest stage again, taking home the coveted Clive Churchill Medal but admitting to being embarrassed to be named best on ground after Manly had lost to the Roosters.

All part of a remarkable journey that has seen him achieve the highest honours the game has to offer while maintaining grounded and respectful of all those who have gone before him.

“It’s a very surreal feeling, passing a legend of the club for something that is held in high regard,” Cherry-Evans said.

“I certainly didn’t set out to beat a record like this but I guess along the way you just want to keep playing because you love it but the competitive side of you obviously thinks about these things.

“All careers have their ups and downs and I have learned a lot, loved every bit of it, and it’s a really proud moment for me and my family.

“I think balance is the most important thing of have in my life. Having the ability to know when to switch on and off is really important.

“I love the game, I love a lot of what comes with being a rugby league player, but knowing when to have family time, balance is really important.

"One of the things that has kept me so grounded over my career is that I am so grateful for the opportunity I have had to play rugby league.

"This game has given me so much and I’d like to think I have given a lot back. I know how far the game has come and I know how lucky I am to be in this position right now but I feel like I have tried to maximise my career in every aspect and that’s what I pride myself on.

“Everyone who has followed my career has watched me grow up from a young 18-year-old who moved to Sydney to a 35-year-old father of three with a beautiful partner at home.

“Some people have to grow up in front of the public and I feel like I have had to do that but it has been a great journey.

“I have so much respect for what Cliff did in his career. His resume is one of the best and there’s a reason why is he in the Hall of Fame.

“I certainly haven’t done what he’s done in the game so there’s a part of me that does feel a bit of impostor syndrome passing someone like him because of how much he has done in the game.”

While it may be hard to imagine a player with 309 NRL games to his name battling impostor syndrome, the man he confronts on Saturday night could be forgiven for feeling a little trepidation in just his second game as a Panther and 14th overall.

Brad Schneider has the unenviable task of trying to fill Nathan Cleary’s boots and trying to spoil DCE’s party in front of a raucous crowd at 4 Pines Park.

No easy assignment, but as the 23-year-old showed against the Roosters last week, he has the talent and the temperament for the job.

And much like DCE having his men behind him as he claims a slice of Sea Eagles history, so too Schneider has the full confidence of his Panthers teammates to steer them around the park.

“It all comes down to Brad’s work ethic and how hard he has trained in the off-season,” said fullback Dylan Edwards.

“He is surrounded by good players, learning off Nathan, and guys like Peter Wallace on the coaching staff.

He was very impressive the way he worked [against the Roosters].

“It’s a credit to the strength of our squad and the recruiting - the club won’t recruit people that can’t do a job for us.

“The way that we train and our culture and our values are really strong and that’s what we expect of the people who come in and pull on the jersey.”

It's the sort of sentiment you know will ring true with Cherry-Evans as prepares to pull on a Manly jersey for a record 310th time, sliding past the mercurial Lyons and into rarefied seaside air at Brookvale.