In an effort to underline why Manly owe Daly Cherry-Evans either a far better deal or a release from his current contract to test the open market, Gavin Orr underlined the exact reason why Manly don’t owe Cherry-Evans anything.
“When Daly signed the (Manly) deal, no one wanted him. I tried to sell him to every club but the so-called geniuses in recruitment didn’t want him,” Orr told the Daily Telegraph.
No one wanted him, Orr’s exact words. So Manly were the club kind enough to give the kid a go – and not just a speculative one-year deal but one that would take him through until the end of the 2013 season.
Three years for the bloke that “no one wanted”, which Cherry-Evans understandably jumped at.
Meanwhile, at the end of February this year, Penrith announced they had re-signed Blake Austin on a three year deal which, if certain incentive clauses are triggered, could see the local junior earn up to $700,000 in his first two seasons alone.
When the deal was done, Austin had played a grand total of two NRL games and has since played the opening two games of the 2012 season off the bench. Yet this untested utility is still a good chance of making the kind of money Orr wants to see Cherry-Evans on.
Exact details of the deal Orr brokered for Cherry-Evans remains unclear, although the Daily Telegraph reported Cherry-Evans is earning $85,000 for this season which will increase to $125,000 next.
Obviously this is well beneath the market value of a premiership winning halfback, particularly when you add a Dally M rookie of the year medal, a Kangaroos jersey, and the Rugby League International Federation’s world halfback of the year award to the young man’s list of achievements.
But this was the contract Cherry-Evans signed, at a time when no one wanted him, so Manly are within their rights to keep him on it.
Nevertheless, Orr asked Manly for a release from the final year of his contract.
“I asked for the release for next year so we could have a look around if Manly can’t match his market value. I told them they could have the final right of refusal. They said no straight away. At least I put it out there.
“If you don’t ask the question, you don’t get answers.”
The question Cherry-Evans should be asking is why the hell his manager got him a contract without performance clauses.
Orr was quick to deride the recruiters who didn’t see Cherry-Evans’ potential, but if Orr was so certain of his young earner’s abilities, why didn’t he get him a contract which would see him make more if he was picked for representative honours?
The very notion that no one wanted Cherry-Evans at all seems a pretty big stretch.
While Cherry-Evans was playing Queensland Cup in 2010 he wasn’t going unnoticed. He captained the Gold Coast Sea Eagles and won the Queensland Cup’s best and fairest award as well as the rookie of the year award.
He was also captain of the Queensland Residents team that season and was reported to have been noticed by none other than Mal Meninga when the Residents faced the Maroons in an opposed match.
The notion that a bloke who had won every major individual award possible in his first year in the Queensland cup – and made the Queensland State of Origin coach sit up and take notice – couldn’t get a deal with a few representative-based incentive clauses inserted in to it says one thing.
Dud management.
Orr is trying to make out that Manly are the bad guys in all of this, but if he had the kind of faith in Cherry-Evans he makes out, this situation would not have come about to begin with.
“If they can’t afford him then why keep him for another two years?” Orr said.
“Let the kid go and play somewhere else. They can’t hold him to ransom on a contract that isn’t acceptable to the level he is now at.”
It’s not ransom, Gavin.
It’s the crappy deal you put together because you didn’t believe your player could reach the level he is now at.
Queensland's game is rugby league
Guest
That is true, but he's not a halfback or a five-eighth. He plays five-eighth from time to time, but he's not a natural ball-player. A great team always has a great ball-player running the show. The NSW Blues will never be able to close out tight games until they have a decent 7 or 6. It doesn't matter if they have Inglis or Gasnier or Idris playing in the centers. Their talent will go to waste more often than not if they've got a dud playing inside of them.
PJ
Guest
I think you'll find NSW nutured Greg Inglis
PJ
Guest
Queensland's game is rugby league, not mate i just want to correct you after having to deal with Gavin Orr at the club i work at he is a massive dud the word i would use to describe him and his woeful negotiations would rhyme with "banker"
Queensland's game is rugby league
Guest
Queensland's juniors have to move interstate to play in the NRL because the NSWRL wishes to have 9 clubs based in Sydney and only 3 in Queensland. It's obvious that NSWRL doesn't have the ability to produce enough quality juniors of its own for the Sydney-based based clubs. Time for them to reduce the amount of Sydney teams to a number that they can sustain? I'd be surprised if the NSWRL could produce enough juniors to keep 2 Sydney teams competitive. The best teams from Sydney are the ones that are full of Queenslanders, New Zealanders and Englishmen. It's hypocritical for New South Wales rugby league fans to say "sorry, you Queenslanders can only have 3 teams, but we'll take all of the good juniors that you're producing since we haven't produced anyone of note in years". IF Sydney is the home of rugby league then it would be producing world-class juniors in the buckletloads. The fact they haven't produced a semi-decent halfback in years proves it's not the home of rugby league. Queensland is the home of rugby league. TIme for the real home of rugby league, Queensland, to be given the representation in the NRL that it deserves.
Queensland's game is rugby league
Guest
Orr isn't the idiot dud. The management at the Cowboys were just as bad. Daly Cherry-Evans' father worked for the Cowboys as a recruitment scout. He alerted the Cowboys about his son's great talent. The club ignored him.
M-Rod
Guest
salary cap and incompetent management aside, this shows just how Brisbane's one-team mentality is working against the games' interest locally as up and coming talent is forced interstate and treated as an unknown quantity/ risk that leads to this situation as we see with DCE... its essential that a genuine 2nd Brisbane team be incorporated into NRL as the calibre of local competition is as strong and competitive as any Sydney equivalent, and those locals with genuine talent cannot crack the few Bronco development positions available with poaching by interstate development squads rife... sorry a bit off-topic but just making the connection and the sooner it is changed with a 2nd Brisbane NRL team the better...
Tom of Brisbane
Guest
Minor correction, it's Sunshine Coast Sea Eagles, not Gold Coast Sea Eagles
Chunks
Roar Pro
Steele Retchless cannot and never will be beaten.
gleeso
Guest
I just wish players would smarten up and appoint there dad or act for themselves in their contract negotiations. These parasite player manager/agents make me sick. They are like deviates the way they swarm around junior events.
bjt
Guest
OK ok, I am not saying throw the Salary Cap in the bin as it has its place, but really, it’s desperately got to be increased and rules in place for clubs who develop players. Everybody is getting sick of the "salary cap pressure" put on clubs, and NRL is really getting the feeling of the clubs keeping all their eggs in one basket. I was just reading the other day about the Broncos making room to keep Ben Teo. Yes, a great young talent, but really what's he done in the last 2 years? Now he's pushing for a big contract and squeezing the other players in the club. What happens if Corey Norman becomes a revelation this year? Broncos have no room for a new superstar, even though they gave him his shot? Players don't seem to be sticking to their clubs any more, and this hurts the fans, which hurts the game. The one thing that got me about whole Melbourne saga, was no one seems to dig a little deeper and ask why it happened... does everybody really think that Melbourne were just a bunch of cheats, just trying to get a sneaky advantage over their competitors, or did they just want to keep a great team, they developed together and pay their work force for performing well? When you've set a rule, you've got to ask yourself why someone was willing to break it. If the Salary Cap was realistic, the whole thing would never have happened, and if they don’t change it soon it will happen again. Regardless, no matter how much I hate Manly they have a right to pay DCE some extra for performing so well, while retaining their other superstars. Although I do think he was born to wear a Broncos jersey!
Not as good as Viper Frost. Although Viper's a bit much for a first name. How about Joe?
seanmaguire
Guest
Sandow will be fine in a season or two Planko. Who knows Parra might even be ok this year. I agree about letting him go Ian. They really need a halfback and although $550,000 is crazy money there really aren't many good halves that come up on the market. I think manly will go all out to keep Daly and Foran though, Lyon off contract and some other players will have to go to keep them though.
PLANKO
Guest
About Cherry-Evans I agree they will offer him more for next season provided he gives them a longer contract past 2013. Sorry Sandow will flop just to much weight on his shoulders and noone to help him... Sandow will be a great player in the pub in about 20 years picking up glasses... I hope not... I hope he invests some of this new found wealth but I dont like the odds.
Ian Whitchurch
Guest
Sadow will be Sandow. He'll win some games, he'll lose some games, he'll go missing in some games. But I agree with you about Inglis - he's a good player in a good side. FWIW, I think Manly ought to offer Cherry-Evans a contract extention, explain they dont have the cap room this year but offer substantial raises in year 2 and 3. That would be the most sensible solution all around, and declining to offer an extension is just telling the player just how loyal to him the club is.
PLANKO
Guest
Sandow will be the dud of the year !!! He is a 500k nothing. Parramatta should have saved their money ! Souths should have passed on GI and they be would signing Foran now !!! South cannot win with a great centre but no one decent to put the ball in his hands.
PLANKO
Guest
Nothing wrong with letting Sandow go he is not worth what Parramatta (I believe is paying).... Spending 25% of cap on on GI was stupid. Make's Foran look like a bargain at 14%...
PLANKO
Guest
The salary cap is not the root cause. The salary cap is about the limit to what most the clubs could afford anyway outside of Brisbane ! The salary cap is not hurting clubs it is saving clubs from themselves. It also a really good excuse for club execs in their negotiations. I bet most clubs are not spending it even when they say they are !
Ian Whitchurch
Guest
Seanmaguire, Yup, and I think letting Sandow go was idiocy, and we need a playmaker, and have big money players coming off contract in that period.
Ian Whitchurch
Guest
Bjt, You might prefer it, but I dont like a league where the question is who comes third behind Real and Barca. And as the SPL has shown, even that wont stop one of the big clubs bankrupting themselves to buy titles. Doesnt anyone *remember* what the NSWRL was like before a salary cap ? How players at certain clubs were paid - usually. Maybe over months, but they got paid.
Ian Whitchurch
Guest
Seanmaguire, I wouldnt be advising him to hold out - I'd be advising him to play hard this year, then sign a contract that includes an injury guarantee next year to play for other than Manly in 2014.