‘Deserves a lot more respect’: Origin enforcer calls for DCE ceasefire

Queensland Maroons enforcer Felise Kaufusi has launched a stirring defence of Daly Cherry-Evans, declaring the champion halfback “deserves a lot more respect” following relentless criticism.

As Kaufusi’s Dolphins prepare to take on a Manly Sea Eagles side desperate to celebrate skipper Cherry-Evans’ 350th NRL game in style, the latter has been subject to scrutiny surrounding his future, as poor form and Father Time cloud his reported departure for the Sydney Roosters in 2026.

Cherry-Evans announced earlier this year he would be leaving Brookvale Oval at season’s end, with the move generating a media narrative that it had played a role in the club’s derailing campaign.

Manly have scored just six tries in four-straight defeats, following their captain’s axing from the Maroons’ squad this year.

Speaking after his outfit’s defeat to Wests Tigers on Sunday, Cherry-Evans insisted the outside noise regarding his bombshell decision had not been a factor in his declining output – his 13 try assists for the year currently his least since 2014, with three rounds left to play.

Kaufusi played State of Origin alongside Cherry-Evans in 2024, and said the way the 36-year-old inspired belief in his teammates needed to be commended.

While some pundits have called for the Manly premiership-winner to retire rather than play on at another club, the Dolphins forward was adamant criticism of Cherry-Evans was unjust.

“Everyone has a right to their opinion, but for a champion player who’s going to play his 350th game, a player who has given so much to this game as well, I think he deserves a lot more respect in that sense,” Kaufusi said.

“I know what he is to the team and the boys around him, so I’m expecting nothing less of his best come this weekend. I know he’ll stand up.

“You could look across the field, and he had this sense of belief in his eyes, and when he talked, that [made you believe] you were always in the game or a chance of winning,” he said.

“That’s what I take the most out of him, his belief, and I definitely looked up to him playing alongside him.”

Kaufusi, who will return from a two-game suspension – along with fellow prop Francis Molo – to help revive the Dolphins’ finals cause, admits feeling guilt following his dangerous tackle on Warriors forward Jacob Laban, who broke his leg and would miss the rest of the season.

“That tackle was pretty sloppy, and that’s exactly why they’re trying to get rid of it, because boys do get injured from it,” Kaufusi said.

“Obviously, I’m not happy to be spending time on the sidelines, but I do cop that.”

The club’s three-game charge to the finals comes in do-or-die circumstances – currently sitting ninth and two points adrift of the top eight – with Kaufusi’s comeback looming as a last audition for a contract extension at Redcliffe.

“We’re in talks still, so hopefully we’ll get that sorted soon. I’d say [I could play on] another year or two, depending on how the body goes,” Kaufusi said.

“These suspensions have given me a bit of longevity, so maybe three or four [years], given my extent. But I’ll take it a year at a time, and we’ll see how I go.”

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