EXCLUSIVE: Phil Gould makes 'brutally honest' assessment of DCE saga after 'rumblings' revealed

Phil Gould has delivered a "brutally honest" assessment of the Daly Cherry-Evans saga, revealing there were "rumblings" at the end of last season coming out of Manly.

It's been the news that has shocked the rugby league world, the 36-year-old Sea Eagles skipper confirmed this week that he would be leaving the club.

Cherry-Evans has played 15 years in the maroon and white kit, but will now either retire from rugby league or take his talents elsewhere in 2026.

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While the bombshell seemingly came from nowhere when Nine's Danny Weidler first reported the news on Monday night, that might not have always been the case.

Speaking on the Wide World of Sports' Six Tackles With Gus after the decision, Gould went in depth when asked about the ordeal and why it didn't surprise him.

"Was it a shock? No, I've got to be brutally honest, because there were rumblings about this late last season," he said.

"There was even mild media references around Manly considering a switch for Turbo [Tom Trbojevic] to go to five-eighth and [Lehi] Hopoate being the future at fullback.

"There were rumblings and there was even a period there where people were saying he [Cherry-Evans] was going to be offered up for 2025.

"None of us believed it and just put it down to scuttlebutt and nobody took any notice.

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"There was certainly smoke around that time of a change of position for Tom Trbojevic and maybe Daly Cherry-Evans moving on. Whether he got wind of that, whether it was accurate- I have no idea - but in hindsight maybe there was a little bit of truth to that.

"Maybe that conversation wasn't pleasing his manager or pleasing Daly all that much."

Manly chief executive Tony Mestrov hinted at the potential switch for Trbojevic during his press conference on Tuesday, while also touting Joey Walsh as a long-term halfback.

Gould admitted it was "strange" to see the reaction from Sea Eagles officials, who were left scrambling to offer a two-year contract to their skipper live on NRL 360.

"There has obviously been a panicked response this week from Manly," he said.

"That seems strange to me. That's the confusing part and that's where the smoke was before Christmas. I don't know if it was coming out of the Manly club or somewhere else, but late last season I actually got a call about Daly Cherry-Evans.

"I didn't even consider it, I gave it nothing and it just washed away … you learn to ignore it and I ignored this. Now you look back at that and think.

"They have certainly gone into damage control this week."