Woolf faces Daly Cherry-Evans in Dolphins-Roosters game after coaching him at 16
Kristian Woolf, Dolphins head coach, selected Daly Cherry-Evans in a Cowboys under-16s representative team two decades ago.
Kristian Woolf picked a young Daly Cherry-Evans for a North Queensland Cowboys development squad when Cherry-Evans was 16 and living in Mackay. The squad, made up of players from Townsville, Cairns and Mackay, included future premiership winner Ben Barba and played matches in Sydney, including against Manly.
Now Woolf coaches the Dolphins in Friday night's preliminary final against the Roosters, where Cherry-Evans plays in the No. 6 jersey. Cherry-Evans, now 37, is chasing a grand final appearance with the Roosters before moving to Hull FC in the Super League.
Woolf recalled being impressed by Cherry-Evans' intelligence, diligence and character even then. He said he has enormous respect for how Cherry-Evans has played for 16 NRL seasons and looked after himself so well.
Cherry-Evans acknowledged the storyline but said he did not want the spotlight on him ahead of the match.
- 20
- Years since coaching
- 37
- Cherry-Evans' age
- 16
- NRL seasons played
- No. 6
- Cherry-Evans' position
Why it mattersA shared personal history between coach and opponent adds human depth to a high-stakes finals match.
AustraliaThis NRL preliminary final is a major Australian sporting event; Dolphins are chasing their first grand final appearance.
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