Manly legend Daly Cherry-Evans has been booed on his return to Brookvale Oval as the Sea Eagles icon nervously laughed off the hostile reception.
Cherry-Evans, 37, played more than 350 games across a sensational 15 years with the club.
The highlight of his lengthy stint came in 2011 when he helped them win the Grand Final against the New Zealand Warriors.
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But in 2025 he rejected a two-year extension with Manly and opted to sign for the Sydney Roosters instead.
On Thursday night, the Roosters travelled to the Oval to take on Cherry-Evans’ former side.
And when he ran out onto the pitch for his warm-up, he was greeted by a chorus of boos from around the stadium.
The halfback saw the humorous side of the moment as he laughed at the response, before he was then booed throughout the game.
And it created quite the buzz on social media, with fans divided on the Manly fans’ behaviour.
Former Roosters and Australia centre Josh Morris posted: “Haha this is comical. Will the Manly fans boo every time DCE touches the ball?”
While Captain Crumbz replied: “Manly fans booing Cherry Evans is so cringe.”
And Abomi Nathan added: “The booing of Cherry-Evans is now just stupid.”
But others justified the booing, with Sutho Dan saying: “Here is my in depth look at why the Manly fans should boo Daly Cherry-Evans tonight 1. He plays for the Roosters now.”
And Bunny Brethren replied: “Warms the heart, hearing Cherry Evans get booed every time he touches the ball.”
A freak storm 90 minutes before kick-off saw the stadium lose power, while the tarp covering the pre-game band’s equipment was swept away to leave their instruments exposed.
It was impossible to see at one stage with the ground plunged in darkness — the roof sounding like it was going to collapse under the weight of rain.
But the game did go ahead as the Sea Eagles took a 10-8 lead into half-time.
However, it was Cherry-Evans’ Roosters that came roaring back after the break to claim a convincing 33-16 victory.
