DCE ready for anything ahead of Brookvale return

Daly Cherry-Evans is bracing for an emotional return to 4 Pines Park, with the Roosters newbie set to run out at Brookvale for the first time since ending his 15-year tenure with the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles.

Speaking with Roosters TV over the weekend, Cherry-Evans said he’s prepared for any reception from the Manly faithful.

“I’m fine with whatever comes my way,” Cherry-Evans said.

“But I tell you what, if the last six months is any reflection based on the amount of people I’ve seen in the community and Manly fans, it’s been nothing but positive.

“That’s not to say some people there might be a bit more negative but overall my relationship with the hill has been awesome the whole way through.

“It’s not to say people won’t boo but I’m very, very comfortable with so many friendships and relationships I’ve got with the Manly fan base.”

Cherry-Evans is also adamant there is no bitterness attached to the occasion, instead framing it as a natural part of the game.

“I had a really strong belief that there was nothing to hide around this,” he said.

“This isn’t something to build up in a negative way, this is actually a really positive thing.

“Not necessarily the performance of our Roosters at the moment, that’s not something I’m saying we should be proud of. We’re trying to work really hard to fix that. But as for this situation, me here going to Manly, it’s not a bad thing.

“I’m sure at some stages this week certain parts of the media might make it seem like a bad thing but I can promise you it’s not a bad thing. This is a part of the game, it’s something I’m quite comfortable in, I’m comfortable with where I am, really excited to be here and happy to be here.

“My focus has definitely been around trying to fix our performances on the field but a little sub-story to it all will be me going back to a place where I played for 15 years so that’s going to be a great experience.”

Asked on his thoughts around the Roosters lacklustre start to the season, DCE said there is still work to do.

"Obviously we're allowing too many points," he said, "so defensively we've got some work to do."

"Attack wise at stages its looked nice, but again, not for long enough.

"It's defiantly a lot to do with the combinations, it's certainly not from a lack of effort."

Hero image: Source - Roosters TV/Manly Sea Eagles