Very early on in his career Daly Cherry-Evans was anointed by the rugby league media and fans a star in the purest fashion. He was gifted an ear-catching nickname to go with his eye-catching ability.
Not just any nickname either, this nickname was given in pure abbreviated format – DCE.
Like SBW and JT before him, this was a man headed for representative honours and Australian athletic super stardom.
Fast forward six years and despite incredible career-best form, and a raft of injuries to key positions, the moniker DCE cannot even scrape together a bench selection for his state.
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Almost unanimously the rugby league contingent south of the border are in disbelief that this northern beaches superstar is being overlooked by Kevin Walters and co. The Queensland selection panel have already made polarising Origin selection mistakes this year, and now with the stakes even higher, they seemingly roll the dice again.
You can almost hear the excited shallow breathing from prominent NSW sports journalists, their pupils dilating with schadenfreude like glee. Should Queensland fail, the onslaught from the mighty pen will be merciless and indiscriminate.
(AAP Image/Dave Hunt)
They have been waiting ten years for bloody vengeance after suffering through a series of embarrassing Bozo selection bungles. They truly feel now is their time, and DCE is the scapegoat for which they can impeach a previously unimpeachable Queensland administration.
From a Queensland point of view, the whole DCE charade is rather amusing. It plays into the Maroons’ Origin mentality quite heavily. Ex-NSW players are screaming over the top of each other in every possible media outlet that Queensland have picked the wrong team.
They can’t win. NSW are stronger and faster. They are the better team. End of a dynasty.
Famous and impossible Queensland series victories have been built on the back of exactly these type of scenarios. Men who in the NSW general opinion don’t deserve Origin selection, underdogs, unknowns, outsiders. Ben Ikin, John Buttagieg, Adam Mogg, John Doyle, and now Tim Glasby and Ben Hunt.
Yet while the whole state howled at the non-selection of Billy Slater in the first game, the passing over of DCE has barely rated a blip on the radar.
For just about the entire history of Origin the Queensland mantra has been ‘when in doubt pick a Bronco’, and Ben Hunt has been at the forefront of a resurgent modern Brisbane Broncos outfit.
Cameron Smith, Cooper Cronk, Billy Slater, Cameron Munster, and Michael Morgan have all the skills that you can possess on a rugby league field. They can game manage and bring everything to the table DCE does and more. So when considering a bench utility is it really so surprising that Ben Hunt the Bronco is preferred?
Where DCE is polished and slick, Ben Hunt is rugged and versatile. He is more likely to take a hard run and break a tackle, more likely to scramble in cover defence with a grass cutting try saver, more likely to accept his place and be a humble role player, and has far more experience as a bench utility/impact player than DCE.
This selection decision is a no brainer. This is not the local juniors rep team where all the best players get picked for a run on an extended bench. The Kevin Walters era has made a clear and pragmatic decision to pick a team that does a job in game three.
They have picked a team to play to the game plan and win. I smell an ambush, DCE or not.
jewboy
Guest
I know it's fish and chips paper now Matt h,but for what it's worth, DCE was also a bench player for Australia and Qld... Mel Meninga (former Qld.coach and now Australian coach)also gave his suppport for DCE to be included in the squad.
TigerMike
Guest
Thanks for your posts Wild Eagle M A short note in, the first game I went to as a kid, at Henson Park, had a team that included Bozo and Beetson. Before the match, my Marrickville .. asked me "Who do you go for? " This 7 yr old said "Ask me after the game... I mention this because well I was and am a fan of Bozo and Beetson. Artie was also a Tiger.. and of course a maroon So I do agree with you on the hunt selection, however I remain positive the Blues can lead from the front. Let's hope it doesn't become a ref's call and just let there footy do the talking
Matt h
Guest
John Doyle was a superbly talented player, but his career was destroyed by injuries
Matt h
Guest
He played as a bench player for Brisbane for more than a year, and has also played that role for Australia
Bunney
Roar Rookie
I like it Martin. I'm a big Benny Hunt fan, but that wouldn't have stopped me selecting DCE for game III. But now that its game day, not really. Ben Hunt is the man and he'll kill it! Your arguments, though perilously thin and transparent, have brought solace to my soul. He is the perfect selection and he'll set up a late try to prove every one of us bandwagon jumper-on-er-er's correct! Keep up the good work!
The Spectator
Guest
Game one, game game, lol a little excited.
The Spectator
Guest
Haynes double fend in game game is the best fend I've ever scene, the moons aligned for that one, whack, outta here!
The Spectator
Guest
Lol
Wild Eagle
Guest
All good points here. As a Manly fan I am not sure if DCE is an Origin type of player. He could be but I'm not 100% sure like I am with Jake T. For some reason not many Eagles players have excelled at origin level and I suppose I put it down to them being outstanding club players but only good to average at rep level. An injury free Brett Stewart to me would have been a standout at any level because of his abilities and self belief. Tom T I reckon will be right up to it as well and hopefully does ok with injuries. I don't think DCE is all that well suited to playing second fiddle in a team and needs a lot of control. Anytime at Manly where he has been injury free and in a decent team he has been outstanding and a major reason for our last title in 2011 I believe.
Gray-Hand
Guest
So out of all the Broncos that have played for Queensland in the last 30 years, Ben Hunt is the only one that didn't deserve to be selected for Queensland? One out of dozens? I'm not sure that that indicates as clear a pattern of pro Broncos bias as some people seem to believe...
Martin Millard
Roar Pro
I 100% agree with you as far as next year goes. For what it's worth (which is 3/5 of stuff all) I would have DCE first choice if Cronk retires. I'm just saying that if he doesn't get picked next year for whatever reason, then you could say he is done as far as rep footy goes. He is pretty unlucky he hit grade at 22 really. Had he come into first grade a few years earlier he may have been preferred to Cooper Cronk as Lockyer's replacement
Nat
Roar Guru
What they said
Mals
Guest
In rep footy you pick your best half back to win games. You don't pick a guy just because he is younger otherwise guys like Smith, Cronk, Slater & Thurston would have been dumped years ago. As a half DCE should have at least 4 more good years left in his legs at the top level. Remember too he's played about 160 NRL games so the wear & tear on his body is probably similar to Ben Hunt who has played more NRL games and is only a year younger.
Raugeee
Guest
Absolutely - I wouldn't be tipping QLD tonight if that were the case. Wally Lewis always said he dreamt of playing for Manly, alongside Fatty Vautin. Imagine him at Brookvale on a sunny Sunady afternoon. NSW would have loved him! (Well, Manly haters aside)
Raugeee
Guest
Oddly - whenever McGill played alongside Warne he outbowled him! The country that brought us Clarrie Grimmett and Bill "Tiger" O'Reilly was too chicken to play McGill and Warne together (well, regularly anyway). Look - DCE has far more class than Hunt, has more experience, and should be the one groomed for halfback for the near future. As Cronk himself was off the bench for 6 games in 2011 & 2012. Meninga has come out and said he would have chosen DCE for tonight. I think "ignore" is the exactly correct word, even though they are protesting otherwise.
MrJSquishy
Roar Pro
Interestingly, that would actually work. One of the biggest things that I have mentioned with regard to DCE not being picked for QLD is combinations. But, imagine a NSW team with DCE, Dylan Walker (centre), Jake Trbojevic (lock) and Turbo (fullback). There would be some serious combinations there! NSW could build their own dynasty around that team...any chance of NSW "adopting" DCE???
steveng
Roar Rookie
And Ben Hunt again, the bloke is a proven failure under pressure and DCE would have been allot more dangerous and more classy.
MrJSquishy
Roar Pro
No, Nat is not saying he wasn't good enough: he was saying Hunt needed to get his confidence back. That is why he was "dropped". It was the right choice for Hunt. And it worked...
Martin Millard
Roar Pro
From everything Ben Hunt, Wayne Bennett, and Ipswich Jets coach Ben Walker have said Hunt's talent wasn't in question it was his headspace. Bennett unlike many other NRL head coaches is not afraid to drop star players to reserve grade if he thinks it is required. Hunt killed it at the Jets, got promoted again regardless of circumstance and then killed it back in the NRL. End of story I would say but maybe you just don't rate Hunt Beastie? Personally I think he is a great player, and a great choice at utility for QLD
Martin Millard
Roar Pro
They didn't ignore him at all. I believe that it was stated if Cronk was out DCE was in, halfback for halfback. It's just that wasn't the selection discussion. The spot "COULD" be Hunt's if he plays well. The coach gets asked a ridiculous amount of questions by the press that he has to answer, then people analyse them within an inch of their life. I don't think there is any doubt that DCE is ahead of Hunt in the QLD halfback pecking order, just not the bench utility pecking order. They are very different positions. The hard thing for DCE is though he will be 29 next year. Norman, Morgan, Munster, Milford, and Hunt are all younger than him. Does he get passed over again with an eye to the future? Some players careers suffer from bad timing I guess. I sort of look at it like the Stuart McGill situation. In any other era of Australian cricket he would have been the greatest leg spinner we have ever had. Except he came up when a bloke called Shane Warne was around