DALY Cherry-Evans will become the code’s next $1 million player as Manly up the ante to keep the Queensland playmaker out of the clutches of the Broncos.

And the Broncos could be dealt another recruitment blow, with AFL convert Karmichael Hunt understood to be cooling on a much-vaunted return to Red Hill in 2015.

The Sunday Mail can reveal Sea Eagles hierarchy are formulating a lucrative extension, worth an estimated $2 million, to keep Cherry-Evans at Brookvale until the end of 2017.

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As part of a proposed two-year upgrade, Manly officials are also dangling the captaincy carrot, outlining Cherry-Evans’ potential to succeed 32-year-old co-skippers Jamie Lyon and Jason King.

Off-contract at the end of next season, Cherry-Evans has previously flagged interest in relocating to Queensland.

Last year, in the lead-up to his Origin debut, the playmaker told a Broncos international he was open-minded about playing for Brisbane.

Aiding the Broncos’ hopes was the historical link between Brisbane CEO Paul White and Cherry-Evans’ father Troy, who forged ties in the mining industry.

News_Image_File: Daly Cherry-Evans scores for Manly.

But in recent months, Manly’s position has strengthened. The club has salary-cap issues but the Manly board has identified Cherry-Evans’ retention as a non-negotiable priority, even at the risk of losing NSW back-rower Glenn Stewart.

Cherry-Evans is so settled in Manly with wife Vessa, whose family hails from the northern beaches, that he has verbally indicated his desire to remain at the club.

The halfback’s management says he could ink a new deal within the month — dealing the Broncos another blow after Cameron Smith committed to Melbourne last Tuesday.

“We’re hoping we can sort something out in the next month but a lot depends on the club’s salary cap position,” said Cherry-Evans’s agent Gavin Orr.

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“There’s no rush. Daly wants to stay at Manly, he is adamant he sees himself there for the next couple of years, that is the information he has passed onto me.

“Daly has some mates at the Broncos and he’s a Queensland boy, so there’s always that talk about him going back.

“But his life is at Manly and I don’t see him wanting to change that at the moment.”

Sea Eagles chairman Scott Penn said the club was acutely aware of the Broncos threat and was determined to move quickly to retain the code’s most promising young halfback.

One impediment for the Broncos is the reality they cannot table a formal offer to Cherry-Evans before November 1 this year. By then, Manly expect to have him secured for the long-term.

News_Image_File: Daly Cherry Evans looks on.

“Brisbane will be in the mix but it’s a matter of how strong their offer is, if they can even make one,” Penn said.

“Daly is very settled in Manly. I know that he is keen to stay, he has indicated that to us. He and his wife are entrenched on the northern beaches and he has a lot to offer us and vice-versa.

“We see a bright future and some great dynamics between us.

“His ties to Manly are probably stronger now than when he first arrived, I think having a family down here has changed Daly's perspective.”

The Broncos are also fighting to secure Hunt. The club attempted to snare Hunt for the 2014 season, but the AFL flexed its political muscle to keep the former Broncos rookie at the Gold Coast Suns.

News_Image_File: Daly Cherry-Evans gets a kick as Sam Burgess closes in. pic Mark Evans

And while Hunt is a free agent for 2015, the AFL is prepared to stump up another $1 million in a last-ditch effort to block his return to rugby league.

Penn said influential Manly insiders view Cherry-Evans, who recently turned 25, as a natural fit for the captaincy.

“He’s our key playmaker, he’s a clear leader on the field in terms of moving the side around the park,” he said.

“In terms of captaincy, that’s a decision for the coaching staff but he’s certainly shown captaincy qualities.

“There’s no reason in the future that Daly wouldn’t be rewarded for that.

“Daly is aware of our culture and we’ll do everything we can to keep him.”