THE Titans upped the ante for Daly Cherry-Evans on Thursday with an offer of $450,000 more than his Manly deal and a consultancy role on the club’s recruitment.

The Titans are the highest bidders for Cherry-Evans and will meet his manager on Friday in a late bid to prise the Maroons half from Brookvale.

Cherry-Evans was initially expected to finalise his future this morning but may need the weekend to make a call after growing tensions with his own management team.

The Sea Eagles playmaker is upset that his private negotiations have turned into public fodder after camera crews captured his visit to Cronulla on Monday.

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With Manly now in danger of losing his five-eighth partner Kieran Foran to Parramatta, the Titans are going for the jugular, giving Cherry-Evans additional power if he joins the Coast.

Regarded as one of the code’s sharpest minds, Cherry-Evans would have input on who the Titans hire and fire. There is also the eventual prospect of the club captaincy as the Titans’ current leader, Nate Myles, turns 30 this year.

While coach Neil Henry would drive Gold Coast’s list management, Titans officials have told Cherry-Evans he would have a dominant voice in shaping the club’s playing culture.

If Cherry-Evans’ primary motivation is money, the Titans will get their man. The Coast’s three-year offer is worth $3 million, easily eclipsing deals tabled by Cronulla ($2.4m) and Manly ($2.55m), who may increase their offer if Foran is lost to the Eels.

Sources say Cherry-Evans was leaning towards staying at Manly but the NRL’s decision to take control of the Titans licence has given the halfback the certainty he wanted.

The Titans’ inaugural football manager, Scott Sattler, said signing Cherry-Evans would be the perfect antidote to the cocaine scandal engulfing the club.

“Daly is the great white hope for the Titans,” Sattler said. “His signing would be as important as Scott Prince’s was for the Titans in 2007.

“The excitement would have been there because we were a new club but (Prince’s) signing gave us instant credibility.

“Given the dramas right now, Daly would do the same. The Titans are at the crossroads and Daly can change that.

“The Titans need a player to show faith in their brand, to give some hope back to the Titans fans and the community.

“His brand value would attract sponsors overnight and put bums on seats.”

Titans co-owner Darryl Kelly, who plans to reinvest in the NRL-controlled entity, made it clear to Cherry-Evans he would form the centrepiece of the club.

“The slant of our discussion is where can go as a club for Daly,” he said.

“He is such a high achiever and building a club around him would appeal to Daly and us.

“There is a mutual benefit there so hopefully the actions of a couple of people haven’t shot us in the foot.’’

Former Titans CEO David May said: “Getting Cherry-Evans would be a coup for the Gold Coast. It’s not just about winning football matches, you want to create generations of fans and the young kids love the small fellas. They identify with the playmakers like Scott Prince and Preston Campbell.

“Daly would inspire a generation of Queensland kids to pick up the football and that is a crucial thing.

“If the Titans can get him, he would develop a generation of Gold Coast fans. He’s an absolute asset.’’