15 sleeps to go

We've reached the halfway point of the 30 day count down now, and at the end of this post we will have crossed over that halfway barrier. After this post, there will be only 14 sleeps remaining, only two more weeks! and with the televised games this weekend,  it's just going to keep flying by. Moving on to number 15 in the countdown, it's becoming increasingly difficult to separate guys at this stage, and there's just so many players that I think wow, I can't believe I missed him out, but such is the wealth of talent that the NRL is blessed with. I would love to hear anyone you think I may have missed out, but remember if someone comes in, then someone has to go out, so I'd also love to hear who you think didn't quite deserve to make the cut too.

#15 Daly Cherry-Evans

At just 23, the Manly halfback has seen a meteoric rise in a very short span of time. Some may argue that I'm jumping the gun putting DCE up so high in the rankings, but this guy in his first season won the Dally M Rookie of the Year, RLIF Halfback of the Year, and guided his team to an NRL Grand Final victory, scoring a try in the final. As he enters what will be just his third year, despite already having 54 NRL games under his belt, what halfbacks can you say you would take over him? no surprises, I'll take Cronk over him, and Cronk will of course be revealed later in the countdown and Thurston would be an automatic selection, but he's playing at five-eighth now. For me, this is the best number 7 in the business behind Cronk and that's saying a lot. Even though he's only been around 2 seasons, the only reason DCE isn't already playing Origin for Queensland is the aforementioned Cronk and Thurston, if he was from NSW I have no doubt he would have been playing for the Blues in 2012. Cherry-Evans isn't going anywhere any time soon, but as Cronk waited in the wings for Lockyer and Thurston, so too will DCE wait behind Thurston and Cronk. While the representative honours will have to wait, don't let that fool you, he's Origin class, he's world class.

Yes I posted this on the Brett Stewart entry, but it's worth posting again

It really is fantastic how well rounded DCE's game is at just 23 and after only two seasons. He plays with the poise and control of a guy who has been in the competition 10 years, I'm sure beginning your career by winning a Premiership goes a long way to help a young blokes confidence. He has a huge boot that he's very precise with, and he uses it often, with the 5th most kicks in play during the 2012 year. While he's most adept at kicking off his profound right foot, he's also shown there's plenty of talent in the left one as well should be forced to use it. While he may not be quite as ferocious as his halves partner Kieran Foran, he's also not shy about making tackles, he doesn't go hiding in the backline and he notched up over 20 tackles 18 times over 28 rounds, never dropping below 12. Given DCE's outstanding attacking nous, he'd be one of the games better players without this commitment to defense, and while he misses a few, he's pretty reliable as far as halfbacks go. 

This whole NRL thing seems pretty easy

At 180cm and 84kg, DCE is one slippery character and he breaks an awful lot of tackles for a halfback. He's very elusive and very agile and he has that uncanny ability to almost squirm his way out of tackles, he's the type of player who one moment looks like he's been wrapped up with an elementary tackle, but then he's slipped out and he's away. To add to that he's also deceptively strong and packs a very useful fend especially when he's got a bit of steam up, you'll often see him take a gap or make a break, followed quickly by a would be tackler getting a firm hand to the chest dispatching them away. Speaking of steam, Daly has plenty of toe on him. If he makes a break, often you may as well just shut the gate because he'll be gone. As I said earlier, he plays like he's been around the track for years, and this shines through in his passing game. His passing is very controlled, very accurate, in fact he's very accurate in almost everything he does. But while I say controlled, that doesn't mean he's tentative, it means that he makes the right passes. He's really just the ideal pivot to navigate your team up and down the field. A great kicker, a great playmaker, a great individual threat, he's got it all.

Basically that entire last paragraph in one short video

Embarking on what will be his 3rd year, many players would be looking to break out, to take that next step into the star category. DCE has been a star since his very first year, he's played like a guy in the prime of his career from his rookie year. There's not that much more for this guy to do to his game but just keep on keeping on. Expect Cherry-Evans and Manly to once again be premiership contenders, and expect DCE to again be nipping at the heels of Cronk and JT for a Maroon jersey, if either of them go down then he'll be getting the call up. 2013 will be another year of DCE solidifying himself amongst the games most elite players, right where he belongs. 

"The Phenom" seems an accurate title for this video

Check back in tomorrow as we reach the two week mark of just 14 sleeps to go. As always, I'm around on Twitter @WellsNorthShore if you have any comments.