Inside the deal as Richie Myler reveals how Hull FC signed DCE and rubbishes concerns over age

Richie Myler has lifted the lid on how Hull FC managed to sign NRL legend Daly Cherry-Evans, explaining that the whole process was over and done with ‘four or five days’.

We’re almost a week on from the rumours swirling that Hull FC may be in for a splash move for the Sydney Roosters man and those rumours were quickly confirmed, as the club confirmed his signing on Thursday night but for some, it still may not feel real.

The Black and Whites CEO Richie Myler has now spoken to BBC Radio Humberside to explain just how Hull FC were able to sign the 37-year-old, as well as discussing what sort of impact can be expected, and why the club have ‘zero concerns’ regarding his age of ability to adapt to Super League.

A key reason for the signing, as explained by Myler, was how Cherry-Evans will affect the culture of the club, with the CEO noting: “He is one of a lot of the crucial appointments we’re going to be making over the next period of time, but him on his own is a huge thing for our English game.”

He’d add: “When you’re a marquee player you have to have an influence on everything. You have to be a great player because that’s what you’re predominantly paid for but you also have to raise the standard of everything else.

“I think he’ll raise the standards of everyone in this organisation from media to marketing to what we do in training facilities. we’ll all want to aspire to be better and that’s what it does. It puts you on your toes and it puts the playing group on the toes around them.”

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As for how the signing happened, Myler admitted that it moved very quickly, something he credited to the club’s ambitious owners Andrew Thirkill and David Hood.

He said: “I think it’s credit to our owners, they really want to back our next journey as a club.

“I think they’ve stuck through us through pretty dire moments, obviously [20]24 and we’re not in a great moment currently, but it’s a nod to that where the club is trying to do the right thing and get this club back on the right track.”

Steve McNamara’s connections to Roosters boss Trent Robinson also came in handy, as Myler spoke on how the deal transpired: “It happened very quickly. The way that Daly and his management team work, it’s very private.

“Steve had a couple of conversations with the management team and Daly himself. It all transpired over about four or five days. Daly obviously did his homework, obviously working with Trent Robertson, he knows he’s got that relationship with Steve in the past, and it was very, very quickly boxed off, paperwork signed and announced within five days.”

Second season of DCE not ruled out

Cherry-Evans will be 38 in February but Myler explained that the club have no worries over that, pointing to his age and the amount of games he has played as an indicator of the player’s durability.

“Zero concern from us,” Myler confirmed, adding: “My point on that is if you look at his durability and how many games he’s played at that level, and you listen to people in the game that have worked with him and you trust their opinion of those people, the way he prepares and the way that he looks after himself and the way that he goes about his business is ultra professional.

“I think that is the bit that excites you and that shows in his numbers. You can’t play that amount of games at that level without taking shortcuts, so we were very confident.”

He also refused to rule out a longer deal than the initial one-year deal, citing Super League’s oldest-ever player Steve Menzies, who played just shy of his 40th birthday.

Asked if a longer stay could happen, Myler admitted: “We don’t know, he might come and blow us all our socks off and it might be fantastic.  Steve Menzies came for one year didn’t he and ended up staying for five and he was at the latter end of his career so we don’t know.

“He’s coming here with a very clear objective to help us get back on track, he’s one of many key appointments we’re going to make to help that but he’s a key part of what we’re doing.”