Lockyer on DCE
http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport...n/news-story/3a2b890a5249659401f8d63ae55a3618
MENTAL toughness, not natural ability, will determine whether Daly Cherry-Evans fights his way back into the State of Origin arena.
The best barometer of a player’s maturity is their ability to mentally handle big occasions.
Saturday’s double header, before 50,000 fans at Suncorp Stadium, is a fair litmus test for Manly maestro Cherry-Evans and Anthony Milford — his Broncos rival gunning for Origin selection.
Michael Morgan, Queensland’s No. 14 incumbent, made a statement with his outstanding performance against the Bulldogs on Thursday night.
If Johnathan Thurston succumbs to a shoulder injury for Origin I, Morgan showed he can handle a promotion to the starting side.
Cherry-Evans last played for Queensland in 2015.
Now Cherry-Evans and Milford take centre stage. The question is not whether they have the talent to succeed in Origin, but if they possess the mental capacity to cope with the demands of the code’s toughest arena.
The knock on Cherry-Evans is that, in his past experiences with Queensland, he has not meshed with the mechanics of the Maroons’ playing systems.
In his six games for Queensland, DCE has won three games and lost three.
In his two games as starting halfback, filling in for an injured Cooper Cronk, Queensland lost both matches.
Personally, I do not subscribe to the theories that Daly doesn’t fit the Queensland culture, nor the tactical style the Maroons employ.
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He is capable of succeeding in Origin. But great Origin players, as Thurston himself learned, are not made overnight.
There is a certain mental fortitude required to take the next step and I’ve seen a greater application from Cherry-Evans this season at Manly.
It is a measure of his development that just 12 months ago, Daly had drifted out of the Origin discussions.
Some critics suggested he would never wear the Queensland jumper again.
Today, he is right back in the mix.
The reasons for Cherry-Evans’ renaissance are multifaceted.
Manly coach Trent Barrett deserves credit for employing a style that has given Cherry-Evans the playmaking seniority to run the show.
But I also believe Daly is in a better headspace. The firestorm over his lifetime deal at Manly and backflipping on the Titans has dissipated.
While it was a saga Cherry-Evans could have done without, it toughened him up.
The best players compartmentalise their careers. They do not allow off-field hardships to erode on-field performance.
Cherry-Evans has one perceived advantage over Milford — Origin experience. But that does not count against the Broncos pivot at the selection table.
Milford’s performance in the 2015 grand final will not be ignored.
Had Brisbane won that night, Milford would have walked away with the Clive Churchill Medal. The grand final is the NRL’s biggest stage and Milford showed nerves of steel that night as he took it to Jonathan Thurston and the Cowboys.
A piece of solo magic from Milford or Cherry-Evans could decide Saturday’s clash.
But Queensland hierarchy will also be watching for mental cues — and what happens between their ears.