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Henry eyes immediate Cherry transfer

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 08 Maret 2015 | 23.01

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NEIL Henry would happily accept Daly Cherry-Evans on an immediate transfer to the Gold Coast but the reality is the Titans coach is more intent on getting his existing rep stars reinstated to his understrength NRL team.

Henry set tongues wagging on Sunday when he confirmed "there is a possibility" the Titans would have Cherry-Evans at the club in 2015 if Manly wanted to release him this season.

Given the Sea Eagles have lost Kieran Foran for six weeks to a hamstring strain there is next to no chance Manly would let Cherry-Evans walk immediately to the Titans, but Henry would be more than accommodating if such a scenario unfolded.

Daly Cherry-Evans has signed with the Titans. Source: News Corp Australia

"I suppose it could happen," Henry told Triple M radio.

"Putting my coach's hat on I'd like to have him in my team for this year.

"There is a possibility, but if we're going to trade players they would have to be willing to go and say 'yep I will pack up my bags and move down to another club.'

"A lot of things would have to happen to work that out.

"Plus we'd have to look at salary cap ramifications and what money we've got available and what we have in our top 25. It's not that clear cut.

"I haven't really thought about it to be honest."

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Foremost in Henry's mind is trying to get the five players on cocaine charges back on duty this week so at least three of them – Beau Falloon, Greg Bird and Dave Taylor – can return to NRL action for Saturday's trip to Bathurst to face Penrith.

Bird, Taylor and Kalifa Faifai Loa will appear in Southport Magistrates court on Monday and it's hoped the Titans players will get to argue for their right to return to duty as early as Tuesday at a meeting with the NRL Integrity Unit and Titans board.

Henry, who believes the Titans are "innocent until proven guilty", said he would not hesitate to thrust key players straight back into the NRL if given clearance, a move that would dramatically alter the make-up of his team to face the Panthers.

"I think the players that weren't available would find a way into the team, a few of those guys anyway," Henry said.

"To me it sort of smacks of the ASADA debacle in some ways because it is a great unknown.

"My argument is, and it's been the case for many footballers in the NRL, that they are able to get on with playing football until such time as they are found guilty of anything.

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"Until such time to be left in limbo I don't think that is the right way to go, that's my personal opinion."

Henry was pleased with the effort of his team in their heartbreaking 19-18 loss to Wests Tigers on Saturday night but knows they'll need to be better again for the trip to Bathurst to play Penrith.

If the stood-down players are not allowed to return to action it is hard to see many changes at the Titans, although winger Kevin Gordon may come under pressure from Anthony Don.

Halfback Daniel Mortimer said the players had spoken after the bitter defeat about making that high-energy performance the minimum standard for 2015.

"Even though we did lose the effort was there, that is our minimum standard, we have to find that and go further next week," Mortimer said.

"The good teams do that, they build on performances like that so hopefully we can do that next week in Bathurst.

"Those kind of games are the ones you look back on at the end of the season and think if only we won that one."


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Green stamps out rockstar mentality

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COWBOYS coach Paul Green has moved to stamp out any threat of a rockstar mentality by ordering his players to stop believing the hype after their round one Roosters roasting.

Deflated North Queensland players on Sunday conceded the perils of reading glowing press after their 28-4 trouncing in Townsville delivered a brutal early-season reality check.

A premiership feel has permeated the Cowboys with a number of experts, including Queensland icon Darren Lockyer, tipping the club to break their 20-year title drought this season.

But Green has turned up the heat on his star-studded squad, questioning whether Cowboys players have "fallen in love" with themselves after months of pre-season praise.

Cowboys fullback Michael Morgan concedes the squad may have slipped into a dangerous psychological trap that must end this Saturday night against Newcastle in Townsville.

Michael Morgan says the Cowboys can't believe the hype. Picture: Evan Morgan Source: News Corp Australia

"Maybe in the back of our minds, we read into things a bit too much," Morgan said.

"He (coach Green) knows we see and read things, he tells us not to read too much into it because if we turn up and play like that, it makes us look silly.

"We see it all (the media reports about their title favouritism), but we tell ourselves that's all it is ... headlines.

"It means nothing until we go out and show it. Personally, you don't go out there thinking because you have good things written about you that you will go out there and win.

"The pre-season means nothing now after the way we played - this loss is a good wake-up call."

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He may be in his second year of NRL coaching but Green knows what it takes to win titles. He was Trent Robinson's assistant when the Roosters won the 2013 premiership and the Bondi club achieved success by staying humble, working hard and shutting out media kudos.

New front-row recruit Ben Hannant is another with title pedigree, winning a premiership at the Broncos in 2006, and admits the Roosters imparted some lessons in building a winning culture.

Of particular concern is the Cowboys' tryline execution in attack. They had a whopping 50 tackles in the Roosters' 20-metre zone and enjoyed a better completion rate (73 per cent to 59 per cent), but could manage just one try.

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"It was a tough night, but it shows the standard we need to be at," Hannant said.

"The Roosters have set the bar high and we now have to raise the bar.

"They were more physical, finished sets well and stuck to their plays. There's no panic stations, but we've learnt a lesson and we have to recover this week."

Roosters coach Robinson still believes the Cowboys will be a force when it matters.

"They started well, it was a tussle at the beginning," he said.

"They pressured us more in defence in the second half. They will be right, they are a strong team, I don't think they'll have any hassles this year."


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Vidot set for NRL recall at prop

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DANIEL Vidot has opened up on the pain of being dropped by Wayne Bennett but the master coach could recall him this week after watching his impressive front-row debut for Ipswich.

Bennett will make changes for Round 2 after their forward pack was dominated by South Sydney with Test veteran and former captain Sam Thaiday expected to be relegated to the bench for Matt Gillett.

Daniel Vidot for the Ipswich Jets. Picture: Peter Wallis Source: News Corp Australia

Vidot is battling Mitch Garbutt to replace the suspended James Gavet for Brisbane's clash with Cronulla and Ben Barba this Friday.

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Melbourne Storm recruit Garbutt was solid for Souths Logan on Sunday, scoring a barnstorming try in the second half to state his case for the NRL team.

However, Newcastle recruit Joe Boyce outshone him in the Magpies backrow.

20-year-old prodigy Corey Oates was also excellent for the Central Capras in his first game of the year.

Round 1 Broncos bolter Aaron Whitchurch is on the chopping block after making two errors in his three runs against South Sydney with Kodi Nikorima in the frame to replace him.

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Bennett was close to playing Nikorima in Round 1 but considering their team lacked forward punch and Andrew McCullough is an 80-minute hooker, Bennett could again opt for a four forward bench.

Vidot deserves to be recalled based on his performance for Ipswich and will bring the hit-up metres Brisbane wished they had last week against South Sydney.

The Rabbitohs made almost 500 more metres than the Broncos, exposing Brisbane's lack of grunt.

Vidot finished last season averaging 165m, the most of any back in the competition.

He told The Courier-Mail he is happy to become a prop if it means wearing the Broncos jersey again.

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"I would have loved to be there for Corey Parker's 300th game because it was a big occasion and it hurt to be on the sideline for that," he said.

"It definitely hurt me. I have been a Broncos fan since I was a youngster and I always will be so now I have to keep my head down and do my best and hopefully something happens in the next couple of weeks.

"I will leave that for Wayne to decide.

"It was a different experience in the middle but I had fun in there and I enjoyed it.

"I am a go with the flow kind of guy and I don't mind where I play. If the team wants me there I'll give my best.

"You are doing the up and back a lot more in the middle which was beneficial for me.

"I think I lost a couple of kilos just playing in the middle out there."


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Aussie gun in the race of his life

Alex Rowe prepares to face Olympic champion David Rudisha at the Sydney Track Classic. Picture: Nathan Dyer Source: Nathan Dyer / News Corp Australia

YOU could forgive Alex Rowe for being daunted about lining up alongside legendary 800m runner David Rudisha.

Rudisha is not only the Olympic champion but the fastest man to ever complete two laps of an athletics track.

The Kenyan great smashed his own 800m world record in London in a eye-popping 1:40.91, a time which placed Rudisha alongside Usain Bolt in an elite class of their own in world athletics.

On Saturday night, Rowe will race Rudisha in the 800m at the Sydney Track Classic at Olympic Park, and far from being daunted, Australia's top middle-distance runner is buzzing with optimism.

David Rudisha winning gold in the 800m at the London Olympics. Source: News Limited

"This will be the fifth time that I've raced him, and I saw a stat that three of the four times we raced over 800m over I have run a personal best," Rowe said.

"Obviously having David in the race will ensure it's a fast pace and give us every opportunity to go fast. As an athlete, you just want to better your personal bests."

Here's where it gets "exciting" for Rowe. His personal best over the 800m is 1:44.4, set in the lead-up to the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

Rowe's time equalled the oldest Australian record in the books, set by Ralph Doubell in Mexico in 1968, and the run also attracted headlines for another reason as well: Rowe was fined $800 by Athletics Australia for leaving a team camp to attend the meet in Monaco (the fine has since been rescinded).

Rowe is confident of running a PB against David Rudisha. Picture: Chris Eastman Source: News Corp Australia

"Everything was just flowing amazingly. The confidence was there, and it was backed by myself being in incredible physical shape," Rowe said.

"When you have those two combined together, the conditioning and the confidence, these breakthroughs can happen.

"I am feeling right now that I am in that position again, which is fantastic."

The 22-year-old Victorian didn't get the chance to run against Rudisha in Glasgow after injuring his hamstring in training, and admits the disappointment spiked when Rudisha was beaten by Nijel Amos' in a slow winning time of 1:45.1.

Amos and Lekuta competing in London. Source: AFP

"I just thought: "Lucky it's the Commonwealth Games and not the Olympics"," Rowe said.

The medical student says the shared Australian 800m record is in his sights for Saturday night at Homebush, having run a 1.45:3 in his first race of the season last month and a personal best in the 400m in training last week.

Rudisha said recently he was hoping to help Rowe break the record in Sydney, but he might want to keep an eye on his Aussie rival. Rowe is keen for another first as well: beating Rudisha.

"I guess the aura will still always be there, given he is the Olympic champion and world record holder, but we are coming into two different phases of our season," Rowe said.

"He is having his first race, whereas I am having my third race. I guess due to that fact it is does instil a little bit of belief that I should be able to go with him, and the possibility of defeating him is something that would be incredibly tough, but it is definitely in mind."


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Fierce will drives this smiling assassin

Formula One driver Daniel Ricciardo on what car he drives, who is the funniest driver on the grid and his dream team-mate

BELIEVE it or not, there is a way to wipe the smile off Daniel Ricciardo's face.

Regarded by many as the most affable driver on the Formula One circuit, it's hard to picture the cheery 25-year-old without his infectious smile beaming from ear to ear.

In victory and defeat last season the young Australian's cheeky grin was splashed across front and back pages around the world, it seemed nothing could stop him flashing the pearly whites.

But scratch the surface just a little, and you soon realise there is a serious side and an incredible depth of determination.

RICCIARDO REVEALS HIS SECRET TO SUCCESS

RICCIARDO'S READY TO ROAR IN 2015

Behind the laid back guy who smiles even when things aren't going his way, is a will to succeed so strong, that if you mention his dream being taken away from him, that famous grin is gone.

"If it all ended tomorrow I'd be pissed because it means I'm not world champion," Ricciardo, Foxtel's new ambassador and face of their F1 coverage, said.

"The title is a realistic goal and I believe with my ability I can give Mercedes a good run."

Ricciardo believes winning the title in 2015 is a realistic goal. Source: News Corp Australia

Had this declaration been made 15 months ago when Ricciardo was transitioning from Toro Rosso to Red Bull, most would have regarded it as a pipe dream held by so many rookies yet achieved by so few.

But given the impact he made in 2014 and his impressive results in pre-season testing, Ricciardo's chances of winning the world title this year are very real.

Hailed by Eddie Jordan, the man who gave Michael Schumacher his first drive, as "the best thing to happen to F1 in a long time", Ricciardo took the world of motorsports by storm last season.

His three race wins, eight podiums and third place overall finish exceeded the achievements of Ayrton Senna and Schumacher in their early years on the circuit, not to mention the expectations of Ricciardo's Red Bull bosses.

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Moreover, the fact he out-qualified his 2014 teammate and four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel 11-8, finished ahead of him in 13 races and 71 points clear in the championship, it is no surprise Ricciardo thinks he has what it takes.

So what makes him so sure?

"I believe in myself, simple as that," he said.

"I had a very successful 2014 but I have got to keep aiming for bigger and better things so the world title is my goal."

His confidence is impressive and his enthusiasm almost as infectious as his smile, but the overwhelming quality this young man possesses is his resolve to get things right — whatever it takes.

Ricciardo in his Red Bull. Source: Getty Images

"You're never perfect in this sport, there is always something to learn," he said with such purpose when asked he has been working on ahead of the season opening Grand Prix in Melbourne on Sunday.

"I was really happy with how I drove last year but I need to refine everything.

"We have learnt a lot, but the race starts for me is probably the most obvious area for improvement.

"They are a team effort and I think we have had some work to do there. It's a tricky thing to get right as there's so much involved so I've been working hard on that."

How and what he could improve for this season is just one of an abundance of duties that fall to Ricciardo as a driver.

Gone are the days of simply turning up at a race, getting in a car, driving and then partying and living a glamorous lifestyle, as portrayed in Rush, the biographical drama centred around James Hunt and Niki Lauda.

The life of a Formula One driver has transformed and is certainly not for the clock watchers among us.

Ricciardo prepares before F1 winter Testing at Circuit de Catalunya.

"There's so much that goes on beyond racing," said Ricciardo, who starts this season as Red Bull's number one driver following the departure of Vettel to Ferrari.

"Some days we're in early and there until 10pm. They're long days but I want to try and understand as much as I can, look at as much data as I can to understand where we are weak, where we can improve and tweak the car.

"There's a long list of what we look at for the car then it's on board video analysis, study how we're driving, what lines we're taking, how we can improve that and then we do the same looking at other drivers.

Lewis Hamilton will be hard to beat in his Mercedes. Source: AP

"There's so much data at our disposal we have to focus on getting everything right and covering all bases."

And it's not all mathematics, calculations and aerodynamics, there is also the issue of ensuring your body is in peak physical condition.

With drivers encountering g-forces ranging from 2g to 5g, core strength is crucial as is remaining lean given the weight restrictions imposed on teams.

"There is no other sport as physically demanding as Formula One," former driver Heikki Kovalainen once said, a sentiment echoed by Ricciardo.

"F1 is a full-body sport; your whole body from head to toe feels the impact of the g-forces," he said.

Ricciardo unleashes his beaming smile for the media. Source: Getty Images

"I train five-and-a-half out of seven days and do a combination of exercise. I top up my endurance with running and cycling because in a race your heart rate is up at 150 so we have to train at that level."

Ricciardo, who also does jiu-jitsu, says his fitness regimen has also benefited from living Monaco where fellow Australian athletes Simon Gerrans, Matt Goss and David Tanner are all on hand for some advice.

"It's cool to speak to them and hear about what they do for their sports. There's plenty to take from what they do be it physical, mental or nutritional."

With all this on his plate surely the frustrations of the job get to him at times? The prospect of no longer being a Formula One driver cannot be the only thing that riles someone working in a sport renowned for such egos?

It's not.

He chuckles to himself before revealing what it is that really makes him angry, what turns that smile to rage when he's sat behind the wheel.

"It's not that I expect people to drive fast but I'm just saying, people in the overtaking lane not driving the limit.

"Let us through! You don't need to speed but just move to the left!"

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RICCIARDO TO DRIVE FOX SPORTS' F1 COVERAGE

FOX Sports have scored a major coup by securing Daniel Ricciardo as an ambassador and as the face of their Formula One coverage for the forthcoming season.

Five days out from the first practice session at Albert Park, the broadcast powerhouse announced that Ricciardo had come on board to provide exclusive interviews after all 20 races in 2015.

News of the Red Bull driver joining forces with Foxtel comes almost a month after they secured the broadcast rights to the sport in a historic five-year deal alongside Channel 10, with every race, qualifying and practice session to be shown live and in high definition for the first time in Australia.

Thrilled to be part of the venture, Ricciardo says the deal will only serve to increase the sport's popularity across the country.

"It's exciting for Australian F1 fans and for me," he said. "The sport itself has blown up in this country and year-by-year it's getting bigger — I like to think I have a small part in that.

"The deal will put them (fans) so much closer, especially with behind-the-scenes stuff, they won't miss a thing.

"In practice two at Germany this year I did a pretty silly dance in front of my engineer, so if I choose to do this again people won't have to search the internet for it, it'll be right there direct to their screen."


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Buzz: How Toovey let Manly slide

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THE Manly Sea Eagles desperately need — dare I say it — a Phil Gould five-year plan.

And stage one needs to be a decision on which coach should implement it.

Geoff Toovey still has two years to run on his contract.

He inherited a premiership-winning roster from Des Hasler and did an excellent job to take the Sea Eagles to the 2013 grand final. He is also a club legend.

Coaching is a lot more than weekly training sessions and tactics. It's about the salary cap, communication with the players, managing egos, the roster and the culture. It's why the best in the business are paid $1 million a year.

The shattered Sea Eagles concede a try. Picture: Mark Evans Source: News Corp Australia

Last July, when the Sea Eagles were leading the premiership, I wrote the following: "It's amazing that the Manly Sea Eagles continue to lead the premiership on the back of the incredible will to win of the senior playing group.

"This club is not a happy place right now, despite the smiling faces you see most weeks on Channel 9 and Fox Sports' coverage of their games. The anger over management's refusal to make long-serving forward Glenn Stewart an offer has again been reignited by other recent player deals."

This is the point I'm making with Geoff Toovey. He should have known since July last year that this was a volcano ready to erupt.

He didn't have the vision or the foresight or the communication with the players to understand Stewart's departure would rip the heart out of the club.

That Stewart was Anthony Watmough's best mate. That it would shatter his brother Brett. That Kieran Foran and Steve Matai would be devastated.

Anthony Watmough injured on Friday. Source: Getty Images

That Toovey should sign the second-rower no matter what and postpone the problem of keeping Daly Cherry-Evans and Foran for another day.

To give you an idea of how tight they all are, Watmough, Glenn Stewart and Brett Stewart were all out together on Saturday night even though they now play for three different clubs.

Manly have not been the same since the day Stewart signed at South Sydney.

The players blamed Cherry-Evans because the majority of them had taken pay cuts themselves over the years and signed for "unders'' to keep the roster together.

Toovey was in charge of recruitment and the senior players haven't forgiven him.

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Now the club is falling apart. Watmough, Stewart and Cherry-Evans have gone. Foran is about to go. They have no grunt in the forwards and now no playmakers.

Jamie Lyon, Matai and Brett Stewart have just a few years left.

Which brings us back to the necessity of a Phillip Ronald Gould five-year plan.

This club is in an almost identical position to the Panthers several years ago.

They have enjoyed many great years — two premierships and four grand finals in the last decade. But right now they are at rock bottom, as silly as it sounds after just one round.

In the last two games, a trial against the Roosters and Friday night's match against Parramatta, they have leaked 78 points.

They need to start from scratch with a new coach and a new roster.

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Like the Panthers did with Ivan Cleary and a host of new players. There will be a backlash from fans because of the removal of a club icon but so be it.

Nathan Brown is available and would be a great acquisition.

He won the Super League grand final with St Helens last season and is rated as one of the shrewdest tacticians in the game.

In fact Mark Gasnier told me recently he is the smartest coach he has played for, a big wrap from a man who played under Wayne Bennett.

Brown was ahead of his time and too close to the players in his first NRL stint at the Dragons.

Now is the right time. He is the man to rebuild a club that, judging by Friday night's performance against Parramatta, will finish 2015 closer to the bottom of the table than the top.

The round two clash between the Rabbitohs and Roosters will be a blockbuster. Picture: Mark Evans Source: News Corp Australia

FUSE LIT FOR CRACKER

WHEN was the last time we had a grand final dress rehearsal in Round 2? South v Easts, ANZ Stadium, Sunday afternoon.

This could be one of the great club games of the modern era judging by what we saw in the opening round. Let's hope we get 60,000 fans to Homebush.

Pearce v Reynolds, Jennings v Walker, George Burgess v Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, Inglis v Tuivasa-Sheck. Plus Maguire v Robinson in an intriguing tactical battle between the two best and brightest young coaching minds in the comp.

This will be a colossal game of rugby league.

The ground record for a club game in Sydney is 59,708 when these archrivals played in Round 26, 2013. Let's hope we smash it.

NSW HALFBACK HEAVEN

UNDER normal circumstances the incumbent halfback from a winning State of Origin team would be entitled to retain his No.7 jersey.

Unless your name is Trent Hodkinson and you have two absolutely outstanding halfbacks banging on the selection door for a NSW jersey.

For years the Maroons had all the halfback depth — Johnathan Thurston, Cooper Cronk, Daly Cherry-Evans and Ben Hunt — all of them Kangaroos.

Now it's the Blues turn as South Sydney's Adam Reynolds and the Roosters' Mitchell Pearce apply the blowtorch to Hodkinson.

May the best man win.

HIGHLIGHT

Live Sunday afternoon footy on Channel Nine. All we need now is high definition.

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LOWLIGHT

How do you get sent-off in rugby league these days? The Wests Tigers' Mitchell Moses and Manly's James Hasson were both lucky to stay on the field over the weekend. It's a game that bans the shoulder charge for the safety of players but at the same time allows players to stay on the field after blatant kneeing and headhigh tackles.

HOT TOPIC

A question for the highly paid geniuses at NRL headquarters. Why do the Cowboys get three of their first four games at home in Townsville when the average temperature in March is above 30 degrees?

SPEED IT UP

The thing I love about watching replays of old games on Fox Sports is the speed of the scrums. In the 70s and 80s players ran to pack down straight away. Referees didn't tell them how to bind. No-one stopped for a drink and a chat.

RADIO WARS

The NRL has fallen out with its radio broadcast partner 2GB. Ray Hadley's Continuous Call team has the rights to call the 2pm kick-off games on Sunday afternoons. Without a 2pm kick-off in the early rounds, GB asked for a refund. The NRL said no. So Hadley called yesterday's Panthers v Bulldogs off the television, the game that Triple M had exclusive commercial to call.


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Sezer keen to sort future after DCE deal

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OFF-contract Titan Aidan Sezer says he wants to decide his future as soon as he can as the Gold Coast address their list of options in the wake of their recruiting of Daly Cherry-Evans.

Sezer, the Titans five-eighth, said he welcomes the Titans' success in signing Cherry-Evans for 2016, but he has to make the best decision for his future.

Sezer's manager Sam Ayoub said "half a dozen'' clubs had expressed interest in the 23-year-old.

Daniel Mortimer, halfback in the 19-18 loss to Wests Tigers on Saturday, says he is under contract for next year at the Gold Coast and there will be "a lot of competition for spots''.

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On Saturday night, Sezer was unable to get enough elevation on a 77th minute field-goal attempt when the game was deadlocked, but the 54-game playmaker created Gold Coast's second try with a pass for tryscorer Ryan James.

"I want it to be sorted out as soon as it can and want to string a few good performances together this year,'' Sezer said.

"It's awesome for the club, a big coup to get someone of Daly's calibre.

"It doesn't affect my future. I have to concentrate on playing for the Titans and whichever way the ball falls, I'll face it when it comes.

"I've been here four years and the colours have grown on me. We're a work in progress, but I want this club to do well.''

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Titans chief executive Graham Annesley said the club had remaining salary cap room to recruit and retain effectively for 2016.

"We have quite a lot of players coming off contract at the end of the year, but it's a decision for the coaching staff and recruitment staff to make those decisions,'' Annesley said.

Ayoub said his preference would be to wait four or six weeks into the season before moving on Sezer's future.

"That gives us a better gauge of what's around because by that time Cherry-Evans, Kieran Foran and James Maloney might have decided where they are (for 2016),'' Ayoub said.

"I spoke to (Titans recruitment) Jamie Mathiou half a dozen times and he's expressed a desire to have Aidan and DCE as their long-term halves.

"Aidan plays a similar game to Foran.''

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Mortimer said the signing of Cherry-Evans was big for the Titans and vowed to fight for his NRL spot by making a statement this year.

"That's a big step for this club especially after what they've been through,'' Mortimer said.

"There will be a lot of competition for spots. I've played a lot of five-eighth. That is all next year. All I can focus on is this year and that's the last thing I'm thinking of at the moment.''

Annesley meanwhile is hoping to capitalise on the Cherry-Evans buzz by aggressively trying to sell their $1.5m sponsor vacancies on their jersey in the coming weeks.

Annesley's refusal to under-value the club's sponsorship properties as they struggled to replace three major sponsors for 2015 has been vindicated with the club set to reap greater rewards on the back of the DCE coup.

"I do think it will help us in the long run which supports our decision to hold firm on our strategy," Annesley said.


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Choc defends Daly over signing circus

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UNDER-fire Daly Cherry-Evans found unlikely support from Anthony Watmough as the ugly fallout continued from the halfback's decision to join the Gold Coast Titans.

"I think Cheez was mis-managed," Watmough told Triple M. "He was shopped around, he was thrown to the wolves. He got hung out.''

Many fans were outraged by the circus that surrounded Cherry-Evans's contract negotiations.

They were further angered when he then decided to tell his teammates about his final decision in the dressing rooms immediately after Friday night's humiliating loss to the Eels.

It's no secret Watmough and Cherry-Evans haven't been the best of mates in recent years and there was plenty of talk Watmough would target his former teammate in Friday night's grudge match.

But that never eventuated - and on Sunday Watmough said he believed Cherry-Evans was the victim of bad advice, declaring he would have demanded "a meeting" with his manager.

"I know he has copped a bit of a hiding but I have got to go in the defence of the kid because if George (Mimis) had've done that I know I would have called him straight in for a meeting," Watmough said.

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Andrew Johns was also strong in his support for Cherry-Evans, labelling him "the nicest young man".

Johns agreed the publicity that surrounded ongoing negotiations were "so badly managed".

"It has been a circus. It has been an absolute circus," Johns said on The Sunday Footy Show.

"It has been Daly going to Cronulla a week out from the competition to have a look around and chat to the coach. So badly managed.

"Daly Cherry-Evans is the nicest young man.

"He is humble, he is well mannered, he is such a nice guy. And he has been portrayed as being greedy and selfish.

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"I really feel for Daly at the moment. He is under all sorts of pressure. I feel really sorry for him."

It remains to be seen what sort of reception Cherry-Evans will get from fans this Saturday in Manly's first home game of the year against Melbourne.

Some outraged fans have already suggested that Manly cut Cherry-Evans loose right now.

Gold Coast coach Neil Henry said he would be open to the idea but had not even considered it.

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"I suppose it could happen," Henry said on Triple M. "It is a possibility but you would have to have players willing to go (in a player swap).

"A lot of things would have to happen before you could work it out plus we would have to look at the salary cap implications with what money we have available and what spots we have in our top 25. So it is not that clear cut."

Manly hooker Matt Ballin said Cherry-Evans should stay and play out the season.

"That is out of the question for me as a player," Ballin told The Sunday Footy Show.

"He spent the whole pre-season with us, he is committed to the club.

"He has made a decision on his future to go there for four years next year and that is fair enough.

"You can't hold that against him but it would be silly if he leaves at this stage."


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