The Titans are expected to table a club record $3 million deal for Daly Cherry-Evans
PETER BADEL EXCLUSIVE
THE COURIER-MAIL
FEBRUARY 04, 2015 12:00AM
GOLD Coast have upped the ante in the battle for Daly Cherry-Evans with the Titans to formally table a club record $3 million deal for the Queensland Origin star.
The Courier-Mail can reveal the Titans board have given approval for the club’s recruitment arm to pull off Gold Coast rugby league’s biggest signing since Wally Lewis joined the Seagulls 23 years ago.
The Titans have had Cherry-Evans on their radar since November and registered interest last week when club staffers, including coach Neil Henry, met the halfback at a Sydney restaurant.
Now the Titans are ramping up their poaching raid, with the club to make a formal offer this week in a multi million-dollar move that will test Cherry-Evans’ commitment to Manly.
Scott Prince was the Titans’ first marquee signing, with the former Test halfback signing a four-year, $1.6m deal to spearhead the club’s entry to the NRL in 2007.
But Cherry-Evans stands to pocket more than double Prince’s annual salary as Titans powerbrokers put together a three-year package worth at least $950,000 a season.
Parramatta and Cronulla are other clubs interested in Cherry-Evans, but it is understood if the Maroons ace leaves Manly at season’s end, his preferred destination is the Titans.
The acquisition of Cherry-Evans would be a huge promotional coup for a Titans club craving sponsors and a feel-good story following the $25m debt crisis that nearly bankrupted the club.
The Titans board are aware of Cherry-Evans’ star power and have given the green light for the club to make the 25-year-old one of the NRL’s highest-paid players.
Henry said last night the Titans had yet to table a formal offer for Cherry-Evans but the coach is determined to have the classy playmaker on his roster in 2016.
“We’ve had no formal negotiations at this stage but certainly we’d be interested in a player of his calibre,” he said.
“Firstly, Daly has great leadership qualities, he is a current representative player with Queensland and Australia and he’s from Queensland, so his family are up this way.
“There is that lifestyle fit and also he is a marquee player in a key position. We can only see where we get to when we work out whether we can table an offer and then his management have to work out where they want to go.
“We haven’t put a deadline on things, we’re having a look at what we have on our books. But when a guy like Daly or Kieran Foran (Manly teammate) comes along, a lot of clubs would be looking at those two players.”
Cherry-Evans’ manager Gavin Orr is anticipating an offer from the Titans in coming days after informal discussions at Grappa restaurant in Leichhardt last week.
“Daly went through a list of clubs that he was genuinely interested in and the Titans are one of those,” he said.
“The appeal of the Titans comes down to the right fit.
“Neil Henry would love to have a player of his quality, we’ve had plenty of talks with the Titans but we’re waiting on a formal offer.
“They’ve told me they are formulating an offer so we’ll wait for them to make the next move and go from there.”
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This Saga is worthy of its own thread. Did Badel just say that we are favourites for DCE if he leaves Manly..?