'Remembers his foundations': DCE ready for full-circle moment in Dolphins showdown
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Bob Jones doesn't remember the first time he met Daly Cherry-Evans.
The son of hooker Troy Evans and nephew of Dolphins legends Cam and Steve Cherry, a young Cherry-Evans was always just there.
Whether it was in the locker room after a game or hanging around training during the week, the youngster was a fixture at the club's Redcliffe base during his early years.
DCE excited to return to Redcliffe
"I remember him as a young fella following his dad around," Jones, a club legend and the current Dolphins chairman, said.
"I knew the family very well. The Cherry family had been involved with the club since before my time. Daly's grandfather was a very good player, his uncles were pretty fair players for the club and his cousins were also good players.
"I played one or two games with his dad, as I was finishing up he was coming through."
Match: Dolphins v Roosters
Finals Week 3 -
home Team
Dolphins
3rd Position
away Team
Roosters
4th Position
Venue: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Match broadcasters:
- WatchNRL
Fast forward three decades and Cherry-Evans' life has come full circle.
The halfback has returned to Queensland to take on the Dolphins in Friday night's preliminary final.
The 37-year-old will leave the NRL to play for Hull FC next season, meaning the clash at a sold-out Suncorp Stadium will be Cherry-Evans' final game of elite rugby league in Brisbane and potentially the last of a decorated 16-year career.
Last time they met: Dolphins v Roosters
The halfback is well aware of the storylines attached to Friday's match, however was eager to shine the spotlight back on the game itself when pressed earlier this week.
"I completely understand the sentiment, but they are just storylines," Cherry-Evans said. "At the end of the day we're playing a prelim.
"We actually don't care where we have to play it. We just wanted to give ourselves an opportunity and we have created that opportunity.
"Now we just have to get our bodies recovered and our minds right and go after it again."
In an alternate universe, Cherry-Evans would be lining up for the Dolphins on Friday night rather than plotting to end their season.
The halfback met with the club last year before ultimately opting to join the Roosters for his NRL swansong.
Daly Cherry-Evans celebrates milestone game in style
While disappointed Cherry-Evans is not leading the Dolphins out on Friday night, Jones remains proud of the role his club played in laying the foundation for a decorated NRL career.
"I've met him a few times since he started in the NRL and he's a really pleasant fella," Jones said. "He's level-headed, down to earth and remembers his foundations here very well.
"He would've made an ideal captain in an ideal world. It would have been great if he was our first captain but it wasn't to be and he's been a terrific player for our game."
Cherry-Evans isn't the only Redcliffe junior preparing to line up for the Roosters on Friday night, with Rob Toia also growing up in the region before making the move south.
Toia too good
It's a situation Jones knows well, the former hooker spending a season with the Tricolours back in 1977 before returning to Queensland the following year.
The desire to give locals a clear path to the NRL played a key role in the club's bid for entry into the competition and the talent nursery is already in full operation.
The Dolphins will line up in Saturday's Queensland Cup grand final, with a host of young stars on track to step up to first grade in the coming years.
While Jones enjoys watching Redcliffe juniors running around for rival clubs, his proudest moments come when local juniors make their NRL debut for the Dolphins.
"It's exciting for our juniors," Jones said. "They don't have to leave and go to Sydney, which most kids had to do.
"It's what a couple of my boys had to do because we didn't have an NRL club. We've been supplying kids to NRL clubs for years. That will still happen, we won't keep all of them but it certainly gives them a clearer pathway to the NRL."
After 27 epic rounds, it all comes down to this. One play can define a season. These are the moments that matter. Don't miss a second of the action with kick-off at 7.50pm Friday night live on Nine, Kayo and Sky Sports.
