‘It's Tom's time': How Maroons vindicated Slater's biggest coaching call

18-06-2025

The rugby league world was reeling when Daly Cherry-Evans suffered the brunt of the State of Origin axe, all but ending an illustrious 26-game career for Queensland as Tom Dearden was ushered into the No.7 jumper.
But in the aftermath of his side's thrilling 26-24 triumph to keep the series alive in Perth, Maroons coach Billy Slater offered an emphatic response when asked if his call had been vindicated.
'You won't get a negative word out of me for Daly Cherry-Evans, he's a wonderful player and has been a wonderful player for a long period of time,' Slater declared.
'It's Tom's time now. He didn't surprise any of us, I don't think, in what he put out there, so I'm really proud of him. It's the first time he's worn the No.7 jersey for Queensland, and I wouldn't imagine it would be the last.'
Cherry-Evans' snubbing marked the first time in nearly three decades Queensland had dropped their captain midway through a series, but Dearden demonstrated he was the future of the state alongside new leader, Cameron Munster.
Loading
The North Queensland Cowboys star's ability to dig deep and straight into the defensive line led to Kurt Capewell's try and the first for Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, while his pinpoint crossfield bomb for 'The Hammer' created his second.
He ran with vigour for his 64 metres, yet more impressively, he came up with 25 tackles for no misses to announce himself as Queensland's long-term halfback – a role that appeared Sam Walker's destiny.
In what was the first time Dearden partnered with Cameron Munster in the halves, the pair linked up in a dominant opening 40 minutes to lead by 20 points.

Hashtags

#NorthQueenslandCowboys

#DalyCherry-Evans

#Dearden

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Demons' May in strife as Blues release pressure valve

The Advertiser

13 hours ago

The Advertiser

Demons' May in strife as Blues release pressure valve

Melbourne star Steven May is at the mercy of the match review officer after leaving Francis Evans bloodied and concussed in a huge collision during the Demons' eight-point loss to Carlton. Patrick Cripps led from the front and unsung forward Ashton Moir kicked four goals in the Blues' 12.6 (78) to 10.10 (70) victory at the MCG on Saturday night. It ended Carlton's four-match losing streak, improving their win-loss record to 7-11 for the season, and eased pressure on embattled coach Michael Voss. But the biggest talking point out of the scrappy affair between two sides that won't play finals was two-time All-Australian defender May's third-quarter clash with Evans. The two players attacked a loose ball from opposite directions and Evans arrived a fraction of a second earlier, taking possession before May clipped him high. There did not appear to be any malice in the incident, though May's shoulder made contact with Evans' face and the Carlton forward was soon substituted out with concussion. The Blues were waiting on further assessment to determine whether Evans suffered any more damage. "Both players were in line with the ball and seemed to be attacking it ... both sort of making a play at the ball and maybe one person was one step late," Carlton coach Michael Voss said. "Obviously then the incident happens, but for Frankie (Evans) to be able to hold his line with a pretty strong man coming the other way was a pretty important moment in the game." May, who had treatment on his sore right shoulder, faces the prospect of being suspended for several weeks over the incident. But he will miss at least one match regardless of the match review officer's findings, after being concussed himself from Tom De Koning's accidental knee to the head in a marking contest late in the match. "Steve's whole intent was to get the ball, clearly," Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin said of the Evans collision. "You can see it when you slow it down, his whole intent was to get the ball. "It's really unfortunate that you get a concussion in the game, and sometimes you can be concussed without (the player) being reported. "It's going to be one of those ones where we'll have to go through the process, but if you just look at his pure intent, it was purely for the ball and it was unfortunate." Scores were tied when the May-Evans collision occurred midway through the third term after Kysaiah Pickett had sparked Melbourne, who trailed by 19 points at half-time, back to life. Moir converted the free-kick awarded to Evans for May's high contact, and Flynn Young's first AFL goal helped the Blues to a 10-point lead at the final change. Bayley Fritsch got the Demons back within a kick with the first major of the final term, and the tight contest wasn't over until well after Charlie Curnow's long bomb gave Carlton breathing space with less than three minutes to play. Blues spearhead Curnow ended his four-week goal drought with three majors, finishing with 15 disposals and eight marks opposed to May. Cripps had 29 disposals and eight clearances for Carlton, and was at the centre of a half-time melee after a confrontation with rival skipper Max Gawn. Pickett was outstanding for Melbourne with two first-quarter goals and a pair of brilliant snaps - one from each pocket - in the third term. He finished with five goals from 23 touches, while Demons midfielder Clayton Oliver had 26 disposals and seven clearances in his 200th AFL game. Melbourne's loss left them in 13th place with a 6-12 record. Melbourne star Steven May is at the mercy of the match review officer after leaving Francis Evans bloodied and concussed in a huge collision during the Demons' eight-point loss to Carlton. Patrick Cripps led from the front and unsung forward Ashton Moir kicked four goals in the Blues' 12.6 (78) to 10.10 (70) victory at the MCG on Saturday night. It ended Carlton's four-match losing streak, improving their win-loss record to 7-11 for the season, and eased pressure on embattled coach Michael Voss. But the biggest talking point out of the scrappy affair between two sides that won't play finals was two-time All-Australian defender May's third-quarter clash with Evans. The two players attacked a loose ball from opposite directions and Evans arrived a fraction of a second earlier, taking possession before May clipped him high. There did not appear to be any malice in the incident, though May's shoulder made contact with Evans' face and the Carlton forward was soon substituted out with concussion. The Blues were waiting on further assessment to determine whether Evans suffered any more damage. "Both players were in line with the ball and seemed to be attacking it ... both sort of making a play at the ball and maybe one person was one step late," Carlton coach Michael Voss said. "Obviously then the incident happens, but for Frankie (Evans) to be able to hold his line with a pretty strong man coming the other way was a pretty important moment in the game." May, who had treatment on his sore right shoulder, faces the prospect of being suspended for several weeks over the incident. But he will miss at least one match regardless of the match review officer's findings, after being concussed himself from Tom De Koning's accidental knee to the head in a marking contest late in the match. "Steve's whole intent was to get the ball, clearly," Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin said of the Evans collision. "You can see it when you slow it down, his whole intent was to get the ball. "It's really unfortunate that you get a concussion in the game, and sometimes you can be concussed without (the player) being reported. "It's going to be one of those ones where we'll have to go through the process, but if you just look at his pure intent, it was purely for the ball and it was unfortunate." Scores were tied when the May-Evans collision occurred midway through the third term after Kysaiah Pickett had sparked Melbourne, who trailed by 19 points at half-time, back to life. Moir converted the free-kick awarded to Evans for May's high contact, and Flynn Young's first AFL goal helped the Blues to a 10-point lead at the final change. Bayley Fritsch got the Demons back within a kick with the first major of the final term, and the tight contest wasn't over until well after Charlie Curnow's long bomb gave Carlton breathing space with less than three minutes to play. Blues spearhead Curnow ended his four-week goal drought with three majors, finishing with 15 disposals and eight marks opposed to May. Cripps had 29 disposals and eight clearances for Carlton, and was at the centre of a half-time melee after a confrontation with rival skipper Max Gawn. Pickett was outstanding for Melbourne with two first-quarter goals and a pair of brilliant snaps - one from each pocket - in the third term. He finished with five goals from 23 touches, while Demons midfielder Clayton Oliver had 26 disposals and seven clearances in his 200th AFL game. Melbourne's loss left them in 13th place with a 6-12 record. Melbourne star Steven May is at the mercy of the match review officer after leaving Francis Evans bloodied and concussed in a huge collision during the Demons' eight-point loss to Carlton. Patrick Cripps led from the front and unsung forward Ashton Moir kicked four goals in the Blues' 12.6 (78) to 10.10 (70) victory at the MCG on Saturday night. It ended Carlton's four-match losing streak, improving their win-loss record to 7-11 for the season, and eased pressure on embattled coach Michael Voss. But the biggest talking point out of the scrappy affair between two sides that won't play finals was two-time All-Australian defender May's third-quarter clash with Evans. The two players attacked a loose ball from opposite directions and Evans arrived a fraction of a second earlier, taking possession before May clipped him high. There did not appear to be any malice in the incident, though May's shoulder made contact with Evans' face and the Carlton forward was soon substituted out with concussion. The Blues were waiting on further assessment to determine whether Evans suffered any more damage. "Both players were in line with the ball and seemed to be attacking it ... both sort of making a play at the ball and maybe one person was one step late," Carlton coach Michael Voss said. "Obviously then the incident happens, but for Frankie (Evans) to be able to hold his line with a pretty strong man coming the other way was a pretty important moment in the game." May, who had treatment on his sore right shoulder, faces the prospect of being suspended for several weeks over the incident. But he will miss at least one match regardless of the match review officer's findings, after being concussed himself from Tom De Koning's accidental knee to the head in a marking contest late in the match. "Steve's whole intent was to get the ball, clearly," Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin said of the Evans collision. "You can see it when you slow it down, his whole intent was to get the ball. "It's really unfortunate that you get a concussion in the game, and sometimes you can be concussed without (the player) being reported. "It's going to be one of those ones where we'll have to go through the process, but if you just look at his pure intent, it was purely for the ball and it was unfortunate." Scores were tied when the May-Evans collision occurred midway through the third term after Kysaiah Pickett had sparked Melbourne, who trailed by 19 points at half-time, back to life. Moir converted the free-kick awarded to Evans for May's high contact, and Flynn Young's first AFL goal helped the Blues to a 10-point lead at the final change. Bayley Fritsch got the Demons back within a kick with the first major of the final term, and the tight contest wasn't over until well after Charlie Curnow's long bomb gave Carlton breathing space with less than three minutes to play. Blues spearhead Curnow ended his four-week goal drought with three majors, finishing with 15 disposals and eight marks opposed to May. Cripps had 29 disposals and eight clearances for Carlton, and was at the centre of a half-time melee after a confrontation with rival skipper Max Gawn. Pickett was outstanding for Melbourne with two first-quarter goals and a pair of brilliant snaps - one from each pocket - in the third term. He finished with five goals from 23 touches, while Demons midfielder Clayton Oliver had 26 disposals and seven clearances in his 200th AFL game. Melbourne's loss left them in 13th place with a 6-12 record.