Why a text message from Benji left Daly Cherry-Evans emotional

Daly Cherry-Evans has revealed how a text message from Wests Tigers coach Benji Marshall left him emotional in the lead-up to his 350th NRL game.

Tigers legend Marshall was forced to leave his beloved club in 2013 when he failed to agree on a new contract.

Cherry-Evans will play his 352nd and final game for the Sea Eagles on Friday night at 4 Pines Park before he is expected to link with rivals the Sydney Roosters for one season after a bitter split with Manly.

There was an outpouring of love for the skipper when he played his 350th game at Brookvale against the Dolphins, and after looking through all the congratulatory messages, Cherry-Evans said the one from Marshall really struck a chord.

Marshall won a premiership with the Tigers and was their biggest star for more than a decade before he exited at the end of 2013, only to eventually return for a second stint as a player, then become their coach.

“There were a few messages that surprised me,” Cherry-Evans said. “It always means a lot when you hear from ex-teammates and them telling you what it meant for them to play with me. But one text I will publicly recognise is a text from Benji Marshall.

“Being a kid who was actually inspired by Benji, to receive his message was really touching.

“I won’t go into what he said, but it hit home because he went through what I’m going through. It was nice to hear that from him.

“He influenced kids to play the game. I was already a footy head growing up, but I went to the 2005 grand final as a spectator. I was 15, I came down with my teammates in Mackay after fundraising the money all year, and even though I was in Cowboys’ territory, I was a huge Benji fan.

“This week is a week I should stop and acknowledge how special the last 15 years have been.

“Even the milestone the other day, they are the moments I’ll appreciate more once I retire.

“Right now, knowing this will be my last game at Brookie, I feel an obligation to go out and give the Manly fans one last reason to cheer and celebrate. They’ve been amazing through this whole process.”

The Sea Eagles can cap a poor end to the regular season for the Warriors, who will play finals football, and need a win to keep their slim top-four hopes alive.

Cherry-Evans confirmed he had broken his nose in his 350th game against the Dolphins, and required scans to make sure there was no damage to his airways.

The 36-year-old also realised he was lucky he did no damage to his leg when trying to trip a pitch invader late in the game at Kogarah on Saturday. The invader was quickly apprehended, but not before running straight past the Manly No.7.

Cherry-Evans said he wanted to have his “Andrew Symonds moment”, a reference to the late Queensland and Australian cricketer who flattened a streaker during a one-day game against India at the Gabba in 2008.

“He [pitch invader] came from far away, so I had a few seconds to process it,” Cherry-Evans said. “The first thing that goes through your mind is, does he look threatening, and could he hurt us? But it quickly became clear he was doing it for a laugh.

“Once I realised he was going to be harmless, I thought, this is my Andrew Symonds moment. He came straight past me and I tried to trip him, but missed. I didn’t nail it at all. The boys then started telling me I might be charged with grade-one tripping.

“I was fine. The nose is also fine. It’s broken, and there was a lot of swelling, and both eyes were blackened at the start of the week, but I will be right for next Friday. I won’t miss it.”

One thing Cherry-Evans will miss is playing with the Trbojevic brothers, including Jake, “who in his prime was arguably the best lock in the game”, and Tom, one of rugby league’s premier fullbacks.

While taking photos after his 350th, Cherry-Evans said he made a point of bringing his three daughters into a photo with Tom so “they understand how special it was their dad got to play alongside someone like Tom”.

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