the Manly Sea Eagles are a club in turmoil. The recent news that their captain, leader and most capped player had decided to leave the club has caught everyone off-guard, including the Manly hierarchy. Whilst there is undoubtedly more details to be unearthed about how and why Daly Cherry-Evans has made the decision to move on, there has also been a burning question which has emerged and remains unanswered. Who will be Sea Eagles halfback in 2026?

Internal Options

In the current squad of players Manly has available there a few options to fill the void left behind by DCE. The most popular and probably most contentious choice would be to move Luke Brooks back into the number 7 jersey. But given his history at being a game managing half during his time at the Tigers, it doesn’t seem like a very inspriring move. Plus, Brooks has played some of the best football of his career at five-eighth in recent years and moving him would just lead to the club searching for another half. Jake Arthur has been DCE’s understudy for the last couple of seasons and hasn’t done too much wrong when given a chance. However, he hasn’t set the world alight and has had an unfortunate run of injuries as well. He’s still on 22 years old, so there’s no denying his best footy is still ahead of him, but its hard to see whether he is ready to fill the enormous void left behind by DCE. Joey Walsh is the hot prospect that could be thrown in the deep end if the club decide to start a rebuild. Still only 18 years old, Walsh is an exciting prospect who grew up on the Northern Beaches. He clearly has plenty of potential and captained the Australian U18’s rugby union side in 2023.

External Options

If the Sea Eagles decide to recruit from outside the club they won’t have any shortage of money, but they will find a shortage of halves available on the open market. A good halfback is hard to come by, but there are a few options that might stand out depending on what direction the club is looking to go. The safest bet could be an experienced option like Jamal Fogarty who is yet to commit to the Raiders. Fogarty has a steady hand and strong kicking game that would be welcomed in Brookvale, but he is closer to the end of the his career so it would only be a short term solution. Tyran Wishart is another player who is often spoken about whenever a halves position becomes available in the NRL. Wishart has impressed every time he has taken to the field with the Storm and deserves to be playing in the spine week in week out in the NRL, although there is some uncertainty about whether halfback is his best position. Elsewhere, there are players like Sean O’Sullivan and Brad Schneider who are both NRL quality half backs that are unfortunately stuck behind some quality halves at their current club. Whilst they aren’t complete rookies, they still have their best footy ahead of them and could be looking for a fresh start to get their careers back on track.

The Rogue Option

The rumour that is doing rounds is for Tom Trbojevic to move into the halves, which would likely see Luke Brooks go to halfback and Lehi Hopoate take over at fullback. It sounds like an ideal solution on paper, but the reality could be disastrous. The move would see two of Manly’s spine players move out of position and into roles they are far less comfortable with. Luke Brooks is best as a running half, whilst Tom Trbojevic is one of the games most damaging fullbacks when fully fit. Despite how popular the idea seems to some fans and pundits, it feels like the Sea Eagles will only be shooting themselves in the foot if they actually decide this is the best way forward for the club.