Why Cronulla fans should be thanking Daly Cherry-Evans

Addin Fonua-Blake has heaped praise on former Manly skipper Daly Cherry-Evans for giving him the leadership skills to help guide Cronulla to another preliminary final.

One of the game’s best front-rowers nominated Tongan pair Jason Taumalolo and Will Hopoate, as well as former New Zealand Warriors captain Tohu Harris, for helping shape him as a player, but said he would always be grateful to Cherry-Evans.

Fonua-Blake left Manly to join the Warriors at the end of 2020 as rumours swirled about how he needed to escape bad influences in Sydney, including bikies, which he was quick to deny.

But Fonua-Blake said Cherry-Evans was the person he could always confide in, and the way he led the Sea Eagles had inspired him to do likewise in the Shire. Fonua-Blake will try to lead from the front against Melbourne in Friday’s preliminary final.

“I loved Cherry – he helped me a lot, and he was a guy who always had good advice,” Fonua-Blake said on Monday. “He was a true leader and someone I have nothing but respect for.

“He was the guy who kept me in line while I was at Manly.

“Through all the adversity he goes through himself, he’s still able to go out there and put in a good performance, no matter what is going on. And that’s what I try to do with my game.

“He was always able to get the boys up, no matter where they sat on the ladder, or what pressure they were under at the time, and that was admirable.

“He also knew family came first, and was one of the guys who came and told me if that was my decision [to leave Sydney], you need to do it.

“It definitely might have been a harder path [without him]. I’m grateful for the time I spent with him.”

Fonua-Blake has not only proven a handful on the park, but has emerged as a wonderful leader for the younger Sharks.

Coach Craig Fitzgibbon praised Fonua-Blake’s selfless performance on Saturday in the win over Canberra after the front-rower was forced to play extra minutes when Tom Hazelton was ruled out with concussion.

Now 29, Fonua-Blake has never been one to call out rivals, nor has he been targeted by rival packs. As Cronulla prop Toby Rudolf rightfully asked on Monday: “Would you call out Addin?”

Former Warriors forward Jazz Tevaga revealed on the This Warriors Life podcast last year how Fonua-Blake once refused to shake hands with Penrith’s Moses Leota when they clashed in a 2023 qualifying final, and wanted to settle their dispute “in the car park”.

Fonua-Blake laughed when told that story, but denied it had happened.

“That’s all fiction,” Fonua-Blake said. “‘Jazza’ [Tevaga] must have had a beer or two before that podcast because I don’t know what he was talking about.

“Sometimes in the game you need to take things personally. I tried to get our team on the front foot that day [in Penrith], but we ended up getting towelled up, so it didn’t work out well for me. I’ll let my actions do the talking.”

Rudolf said Fonua-Blake was the “most complete front-rower I’ve ever played with”, and while he was never intimidated by him when he played against him, “I was by his ability, and maybe that’s the impression he gives off to other teams”.

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