Daly Cherry-Evans has backflipped on his decision to play on in 2026, telling Manly he wants to see how the season unfolds before committing to what would be the 16th season of his glittering NRL career.

Cherry-Evans’ decision comes as Manly draw up a potential succession plan that would see fullback Tom Trbojevic move into the halves when the premiership-winning halfback hangs up the boots.

Last month Cherry-Evans told the Sea Eagles he wanted to play on beyond the end of his 2025 contract, but at a meeting to decide his future on Thursday he said he’d had a change of heart and wanted to leave his options open.

He did, however, say he wanted to end his career as a one-club player and Manly agreed to hold a position open in their 2026 roster in case he decides he still has more football in him.

In preparation for Cherry-Evans’ potential retirement at the end of 2025, Manly have discussed shifting Trbojevic to five-eighth in 2026, a move that would enable them to secure young gun Lehi Hopoate on a long-term deal as the club’s fullback.

Should Cherry-Evans decide to stay on past next season, he will likely have to take a significant pay cut to squeeze into the salary cap because Manly had not budgeted for him beyond his current contract.

The Queensland captain, who also hasn’t yet decided whether he will play State of Origin in 2025, is on a deal worth close to $1 million in 2025. He is still playing at a high level and is arguably ranked among the top four halfbacks in the competition, alongside Nathan Cleary ($1.2m), Mitchell Moses ($1.25m) and Jahrome Hughes ($900,000).

The Sea Eagles, however, have already spent big money on retaining the likes of Haumole Olakau’atu, Tolutau Koula, Jason Saab and Taniela Paseka and have salary cap restraints in 2026.