Daly Cherry-Evans says Manly are starting to feel like the Sea Eagles of old but must temper their excitement after scoring their second straight NRL win.
Cherry-Evans was superb in leading the Sea Eagles to a 30-10 victory over Newcastle at Brookvale on Sunday, a fortnight after they toppled Melbourne in a big upset.
While Manly still sit at the bottom of the NRL ladder – by just one point on for-and-against behind Parramatta – they are starting to show glimpses of form.
The side has built a dynasty over the last decade, making the finals in each of the last 10 seasons.
And while they appear to be on the wane, after losing a host of senior players in the off-season, Cherry-Evans said the light had not been completely extinguished with some key returns on the horizon.
Steve Matai will return from suspension against Penrith next week however Kieran Foran is expected to be out for a month with a hamstring injury suffered in last week’s trans-Tasman Test.
“There are some familiar faces back on the paddock and that obviously helps,” Cherry-Evans said.
“We’re still a couple of people away from being full strength but with the side we had today, everyone chipped in and everyone gave their all.”
However Cherry-Evans says they were nowhere near back to their best and he is determined to lead them to the finals in his final year at the club before moving to the Gold Coast in 2016.
“We’re definitely gaining some momentum which is helpful at this time of the year,” Cherry-Evans said.
“But it is only two in a row and we are still on the bottom of the ladder.
“We still have a lot of work in front of us but today was a good start.”
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