The unlikely ally who helped DCE navigate a 'bizarre experience'

As Daly Cherry-Evans paced the dressing room and steeled himself for a frosty reception at 4 Pines Park on Thursday night he found an unlikely ally with a few calming words.

After 15 years, a premiership and 352 games with the Sea Eagles, emotions ran high as Cherry-Evans returned to Brookie in the colours of one of Manly's fiercest rivals.

One man who knew what DCE could expect was Spencer Leniu, who joined the Roosters in 2024 after winning back-to-back-to-back premierships with a bunch of his best mates at the Panthers.

“There was a conversation I had in the sheds tonight with Spencer,” Cherry-Evans told media post-match.

“His experience, seeing the guys from Penrith, he was a good one to lean on pre-game.

“I’ve really enjoyed the support from my teammates. You could feel that during the week.”

As DCE charged onto the field to a chorus of boos a number of his teammates including Sam Walker and Rob Toia made a beeline for the 37-year-old to wish him well and remind him they had his back.

In the final wash-up it was Cherry-Evans having the last laugh in a 33-16 triumph but he admitted it had been an emotional rollercoaster.

“Walking in tonight and going into the right-hand side of the dressing rooms, I didn’t know how I was going to feel until I did it,” he said.

“It was a really bizarre experience. I don’t think there was anything anyone could have said to prepare me for it.

“The nerves spiked at different times, but it was important to just focus on what you can do out there.”

As for the constant heckling from the same fans who had cheered him for 15 years, the veteran playmaker took it all in his stride.

“The best way I can explain it is I just took it as I felt it,” he said.

“I felt like they had to do it, because that’s what you do.

“Even after tonight I didn’t feel any hostility. The crowd booed at times, but I felt like it was respectful.”

Now sitting at 2-2 and with a bye in Round 5, the Roosters have a chance to regroup and reassess ahead of a Round 6 clash with the Sharks in Perth, where DCE can look forward to being just another player rather than the focus of endless media attention in the build-up.