DANE ELDRIDGE: Sydney Roosters Daly Cherry-Evans deal loking like a dud as Sam Walker proves his worth

When it comes to nutting out a sweet business deal, Nick Politis isn’t here to play Tiddlywinks.

After bossing the business world for decades, the tycoon has earned a reputation for such ruthlessness that he can’t walk down the street anymore without selling a car or buying a first grader.

And if his empire of car dealerships and cranky Rabbitohs fans is any guide, he rarely makes an errant purchase.

Whether it’s recruiting players or just picking the silk napkins for his chairman’s lounge, Politis and his Roosters administration seldom lose on a deal.

But if the rumours are true about Daly Cherry-Evans, the club and its high-flying chairman are about to add the cherry on a burgeoning cake of botched recruitments.

For those who haven’t heard the worst kept secret in the game, the Manly skipper is strongly rumoured to be joining the Roosters for season 2026 on a one-year $800k deal.

While this is yet to be officially confirmed by either the club or the player, neither have denied it publicly- which in rugby league is as good as a televised marriage.

But even before he’s been officially unveiled, it’s already looking like an impulse purchase as regrettable as one of those Temu deals the rest of us mortals succumb to on our Instagram feeds.

Take nothing away from the Sea Eagles legend, a representative halfback who offers experience, professionalism and good old fashioned dad-style aura with the hairline to match.

But since announcing his decision to leave Manly, his form has suffered at the same rapid rate the Chooks have been unearthing gun new playmakers.

Put simply, Cherry-Evans has been playing with the self-defeatism of a tired children’s performer after a long week of performing the Hokey Pokey multiple times a day.

On the surface he appears to be giving his all, but his eyes reveal the exhaustion of a man who’s putting the left foot in while thinking only about getting the hell out.

But over at the Roosters, the swashbuckling Sam Walker has returned and the cool-headed Hugo Savala has emerged to leave coach Trent Robinson with so many ballplayers up the wazoo he’ll still be in surplus when Chad Townsend retires and Sandon Smith finds a new home.

That’s why adding a 37-year-old halfback to the mix on a sweetheart deal now looks like blind loyalty to an arranged marriage agreed to by drunk-dial.

With the Bondi club heavily pregnant with options in the same time the Manly veteran has copped the sack by Queensland, questions are now being asked:

Is the Sea Eagle stalwart signed and sealed? Is it too late for the Chooks to renege?

Or can Politis and Robinson just face it head-on and pretend to lose his number?

After the Roosters racked up 96 points across the last two weeks of football, any other administration that wanted to change their halves combination would be subject to mandatory breath-testing.

And if it was to also accommodate a codger over a rookie who costs less than what you’d find lost behind Cherry-Evans’ couch, you’d be forgiven for thinking it was clinical insanity or the Wests Tigers.

But when it’s the Roosters and Politis, you naturally wonder if this whole episode has been a bad dream or just some kinda clerical error.

Fair enough, securing the services of the departing Sea Eagle may have been a bright idea four months ago when Townsend was leading around a rookie Roosters outfit like a fruit bat with no sonar.

And yes, he was rumoured to be shifting to five-eighth to play second fiddle to Walker - despite never taking a back seat in his life - before transitioning to an assistant role after a solitary year on the paddock.

But with his form nosediving so spectacularly, pundits are now urging this transition to be fast-tracked to pre-season next year.

Of course, a backflip at this stage would be a stunning development, although not one Cherry-Evans is unfamiliar with after famously abandoning the Gold Coast Titans on the altar in 2015.

And you’d get better odds on Peter V’Landys praising the virtues of AFL over the Manly skipper remaining at the Sea Eagles or swallowing his pride and hanging up the boots.

But if the deal goes through as predicted, the half-back may arrive at the Bondi club to find himself in reserve grade, if he isn’t there already.

And where does it leave the Roosters and Politis’ reputation as the game’s canniest dealmaker?

It doesn’t matter whether it’s a used car or a halfback- the chairman’s record is peerless when it comes to buying luxury products.

With a wallet so vast it should be the ninth wonder of the world, this red-blooded Mediterranean known for his cold-blooded business will never have an issue luring the best rugby league has to offer.

But recently, for every Brad Fittler, Sonny Bill Williams or Cooper Cronk there’s been a Townsend, a Brandon Smith or a Dom Young.

Will DCE be the latest to follow a similar path and be prematurely dumped on Newcastle.

It already feels like the Manly captain is the Roosters latest dud deal, an offence that was once a rarity for Politis but now becoming as frequent as a grumpy Souths fan.