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Live sport on SN this weekendJustified: Foran's pride in Cherry-Evans' title bid
Scott Bailey, AAP •  October 3rd, 2026 3:30 pm
Manly coach Kieran Foran (left) says his ex-teammate Daly-Cherry Evans deserves another premiership | Photo: Dan Himbrechts/AAP
One of the first messages Daly Cherry-Evans received on ending his 13-year wait to return to a grand final was from his old mate Kieran Foran.
"I just said something along the lines of: 'It's been quite incredible what you've been able to achieve this year'," Foran told AAP.
"Because I just know how much this means to him on a far deeper level than what he talks about publicly."
The risk Daly Cherry-Evans took in switching from Manly to the Roosters this season has paid off | Photo: Dan Himbrechts/AAP
If anyone can relate to what Cherry-Evans has endured in the 15 years between winning a premiership as a Manly rookie in 2011 and Sunday's grand final for the Sydney Roosters against Newcastle, it's Foran.
The pair's careers have been intrinsically linked since that 2011 title.
They partnered together 190 times for Manly, including the 2013 grand final loss to the Roosters, where Cherry-Evans won a bittersweet Clive Churchill Medal.
Cherry-Evans admitted this week his memories of those games are vague, but what does stand out to both he and Foran has been the long run of years since.
The pair were part of Manly's 2011 premiership, beating New Zealand in the grand final | Photo: Tracey Nearmy/AAP
"It was probably around year six to year 10 I started to realise how difficult it was to make finals, let alone a grand final," Cherry-Evans said.
"There were a couple of lean years there and it gives you a really strong appreciation for the times you do get to play in a finals series."
Cherry-Evans has been quick to insist this week is not about him, ahead of his 379th and final game in the NRL.
Much of the build up has remained on the fairytale run of crowd favourites Newcastle and their bid to win the Knights' first premiership in 25 years.
Daly Cherry-Evans lost to Sydney Roosters in the 2013 grand final | Photo: Paul Miller/AAP
But make no mistake, Cherry-Evans has spent most of his career yearning for this moment too.
"We'd catch up for coffee over the last three or four years and both saying: 'how good would it be to play in another grand final? It's been so long'," Foran said.
"That's what would keep me going too.
"I'm just so happy for him that he's got the opportunity to do that. He deserves it so much."
Foran is the first to admit he will be emotional watching Cherry-Evans on Sunday night.
If the Roosters win, Cherry-Evans will be the game's oldest premiership winner in 93 years. He will also overtake Lote Tuqiri for the longest gap between titles.
After 2011 glory, Daly Cherry-Evans could overtake Lote Tuqiri for the longest gap between titles | Photo: Dean Lewins/AAP
There are many things Foran admires about his old halves partner.
There's his growth since he was a young half at Manly, his tenacity, his desire to always be the best and the fact he has played every game this year at age 37.
Impressive too has been Cherry-Evans' combination with Sam Walker and the way he has fit into a Roosters system hunting their first title since 2019.
But the thing that stands out to Foran most is the way Cherry-Evans has performed after his shock defection from Manly at the end of last year.
"He took a risk to say, 'I'm going to go somewhere else, and I'm going to back myself to play in another grand final'," Foran said.
"I was quick to remind him: 'You built such an incredible legacy at Manly. Is this a risk worth taking?
"The external pressure was 'if the Roosters don't make a grand final, then it's been a failure'.
"But there would also be this internal pressure of 'I've taken that leap, and now I've got to produce'."
In another world, Foran could have been coaching Cherry-Evans this year at Manly after his own shock appointment as Anthony Seibold's replacement.
But he believes his old mate can now be at peace with the call to leave the Sea Eagles.
"He'd have his own internal reasons for why he made the decision and that's no-one else's business," Foran said.
"You wonder if the Roosters just scrape into the finals or they miss out, does he go was it worth it?
"But given what he's been able to achieve this year and what the team's been able to achieve, he'll feel justified in that decision."
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