The Kokoda lessons Daly Cherry-Evans will never forget
When Daly Cherry-Evans thinks about completing the Kokoda Trail with his new Sydney Roosters team-mates before Christmas, a few things come to mind.
There were practical jokers Victor Radley and Egan Butcher, who always provided comic relief.
Connor Watson was the “best dressed man completing Kokoda”.
And the sound of hapless Max McCathie, who had contracted a nasty virus at the beginning of the journey, casually laying down on a dry spot in the middle of the walk.
Cherry-Evans will be on the mind this week to complete the 96km, six-day journey through the highlands of Papua New Guinea, playing in the first Roosters vs St George Illawarra Anzac Day blockbuster.
Cherry-Evans has won a championship, won the Origin series, won a World Cup, played in the World Club Challenge and can now tick the last thing off his league bucket list.
And when he runs into the Allianz Stadium, the grueling PNG trek will benefit him for many different reasons.
“There were a lot of important messages coming from Kokoda,” Cherry-Evans told this imprint on Tuesday.
“On a personal level you are testing yourself mentally and physically. There is no choice but to keep pushing forward every day.
“You’re in a group and you’re all suffering at different stages. You might be sore and tired, but then someone else might have a little more energy and start walking around, and suddenly that lifts your spirits.”
“You don’t have dark moments, but you do have moments where you get in your head and question yourself.
“I was lucky to do this with such a great group.”
Cherry-Evans praised Radley and Butcher for their friendship. He still chuckles when he remembers Watson going out in designer white shorts, but getting so tired that he kept falling and messing up new threads.
“He was literally the best dressed man to ever walk Kokoda; none of us knew how hard it would be and how dirty we would get but Connor took it all in his stride,” Cherry-Evans said.
Cherry-Evans was struck by how Australian soldiers were able to navigate rough roads during World War II. This week he was eager to hear more stories about the soldiers and lessons he could incorporate into the conflict with the Dragons.
Cherry-Evans has lost count of the number of times he has sat on the sofa to watch one of the most famous club matches of the season.
“One of the standout moments was when the Dragons struggled to win late in a year [2012]“When Mick Weyman and Ben Creagh were playing,” Cherry-Evans said.
“It was a really exciting match. The atmosphere was on TV in every match I watched.
“Now playing in one of these games will be a really cool moment.”
Cherry-Evans, who spent 15 seasons at Manly before moving to Bondi, made a point of asking his team-mates what to expect.
Prop Naufahu Whyte was happy to share his own experience and said his highlight moment was playing in his first Anzac match in 2023.
“I had no intention of playing, there was a late change and ‘Robbo'[coach Trent Robinson] “He told me Terrell May was out, so I was in,” Whyte said.
“I remember coming out, the parade, the national anthems, the trumpets [being played for The Last Post]. It’s not exactly a grand finale, but it should come close to that. I always mark this match on my calendar.
“My brother Desmond is serving in the air force in New Zealand. He actually played against the Australian team for the New Zealand Defense Force before we played a few years ago. He’s half a year old. It was a great day.”
Cherry-Evans said Whyte and several others told him: “Form means nothing. You go into this game expecting it to be a really good game, a high-quality game, and a game where you have to play 80 minutes to win.”
The Roosters got off to a slow start to beat Newcastle last Sunday. They outscored Cronulla 16-0 before fighting back to win and beat Manly despite giving up a try in the first 30 seconds.
Whether Cherry-Evans can experience the Anzac Day extravaganza just once remains to be seen. He is 37 years old and has a player option for next season.
“If everything goes well we can play for 31 weeks, we’re only into week seven so there’s no point in making a decision right now,” Cherry-Evans said.
“Once the situation becomes clear, I will be as public as I can so people will stop asking me questions. There is no point in making calls right now.”
