EXCLUSIVE: How fortunes flipped for divisive 350-gamers Ben Hunt and DCE whose reputations are now 'worlds apart'

The NRL careers of Ben Hunt and Daly Cherry-Evans hit an intriguing intersection this week but the current situation of the two elder statesmen could not be much further apart.

They become just the fifth and sixth players to reach 350 games in the best rugby league competition on the planet, joining Terry Lamb on that magical figure and only trailing Darren Lockyer (355), Cooper Cronk (372), and Cameron Smith (430).

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How they individually reached this point, and how clear their immediate futures in the game are, are simply worlds apart.

Hunt, 35, will become the only 350-game player to not win an NRL premiership - although he still has time to do so.

He debuted in 2009 for the Broncos and led the team to the 2015 grand final, then infamously dropped a kick-off in extra time which allowed Cowboys icon Johnathan Thurston to kick the winning field goal.

Cherry-Evans debuted in 2011 and tasted immediate success, helping Manly - alongside fellow young gun halves partner Kieran Foran - to that year's premiership. They again took the Sea Eagles to a grand final in 2013 but fell short to the Roosters.

In 2017, Hunt quit the Broncos and headed south to fill his pockets with a rich contract with St George Illawarra, said to be worth about $1.2 million a season - the most lucrative in the NRL at the time.

After years of dismal Dragons performances and personal criticism, he tried to quit the club in 2023, was blocked, and then eventually got his wish granted the following year, inking a deal to return home to Red Hill and don his beloved Broncos strip.

Cherry-Evans was long thought to be a one-club player, also earning more than $1m a season as the Sea Eagles also fought to get back to the first weekend in October.

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He dropped a bombshell on the club and the league earlier this year when he announced he would leave Narrabeen and was open to playing for a rival NRL club in 2026. It has long been rumoured a deal has been struck with the Roosters, although - for reasons unknown - neither club nor player has confirmed it yet.

This weekend both men will run out for the 350th time in the NRL - Hunt is wearing his old Brisbane No.7 thanks to an Adam Reynolds injury, while Cherry-Evans is desperately trying to arrest a Sea Eagles form slump that's sparked rumours of a player divide and coach white-anting.

Lockyer says Manly teammates should be inspired by the skipper's milestone when they take on the Dolphins at Brookvale on Saturday.

"If that doesn't fire them up, what will?" Lockyer told Wide World of Sports' QLDER.

"It's been a very challenging season for DCE and Manly, given the speculation and then the announcement, the constant discussion around DCE and where he's going.

"I feel like wherever he's going, not announcing that has prolonged the speculation. It could have been avoided.

"I still don't know why it hasn't been announced, if he is going somewhere, and I think it's been a massive distraction for him and the club."

There's plenty of noise suggesting Cherry-Evans may retire at season's end rather than move across the Harbour Bridge to play for the Chooks.

"I don't think DCE would want to finish on a sour note, on a poor note. Potentially if he has a really good three weeks it might sway his decision," Lockyer said.

On the north side of the Tweed, Hunt is also making headlines but for much more positive reasons.

He returned to the No.7 jumper last week and led the Broncos to a 38-28 victory over the Dolphins in the cross-town derby. He may need to keep the role for several more weeks as Reynolds races to be fit to play again this season.

Hunt returned to his childhood club this year with uncertainty around what position he would fill and whether he would actually be in the best 17. It would be a remarkable turn of events if he ended up playing halfback in another grand final for the Broncos, with the chance to possibly make amends for that 2015 nightmare.

His future is sorted for next year - unlike Cherry-Evans' - with a contract to play for Brisbane worth about $550,000. It's less than half what he was once pocketing at the Dragons but in contrast to his reluctant final year in Wollongong, Hunt now looks happy.

"I liked his composure, his leadership," Lockyer said of Hunt's outing against the Dolphins.

"I was at Broncos training today (Tuesday) and they were wearing his junior club, wearing their socks, and they've got the 350 shirt for Ben Hunt.

"So they are making it a special milestone throughout the week. I guess the motive there is to get a performance on Sunday."

The Broncos take on the injury-hit Knights in Newcastle and will be expected to win convincingly to bolster their spot inside the competition's top eight.

The Sea Eagles, playing down the highway a day earlier, will be fighting to avoid a fifth consecutive loss and desperate to mark the Cherry-Evans occasion with a win.