Samuel Goldwyn once reputedly said a verbal contract wasn’t worth the paper it was written on. This has long had its rugby league variant in the modern era: a written contract is worth nothing.
The attitude has been, ‘I’ll sign with Manly and if I don’t like the club I’ll give Parramatta a try next week and if it doesn’t work out, I’ll give Canterbury a go next month.’
This has been not so much disloyalty but a reflection of the parallel universe many young footballers inhabit, where there is just football, football and football. Where there is scant acquaintance with the world outside the cosseted existence inside the club, and little thought given to a life post-rugby league.
Talk to some player managers and you’ll here stories like players ringing and saying, ‘My car has broken down’ – the response being, ‘Call the NRMA’ – or ‘I need a new pair of boots’.
Am I my player’s keeper? Rugby league clubs have been playing catch-up responsibilities, but the Daly Cherry-Evans case is different.
He’s made a considered decision and if his affairs are well managed, he should be set up for a comfortable existence post the comparatively short life of the elite rugby league player.
But talk of his not literally breaking a contract because of the June 30 decision is just sophistry. Morally, he made a commitment and put his pen to paper.
But then only dinosaurs might quote ‘a man’s word is his bond’. Only dinosaurs might ask ‘what price integrity?’ and say Cherry-Evans has paid a terrible cost.
Even if he should win 10 Dally M awards and Manly multiple premierships, any post-reneging achievements will mean nothing _ at least to dinosaurs. And if Cherry-Evans’ backflip might mean the virtual destruction of the Gold Coast Titans, well he’s OK and that’s all that matters.
It’s only appropriate that Manly is the club he’s chosen to stay with. After all, his captain Jamie Lyon once walked out on Parramatta.
Manly’s silver only proves the verity that potential performance beats principle every time.
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