When Daly Cherry-Evans arrived at the Roosters, Hugo Savala could have been forgiven for thinking there wouldn’t be enough room for both of them at Bondi Junction.
Suddenly, there was a logjam in the halves. Sam Walker and Cherry-Evans were always going to be the first-choice pairing in 2026, while youngster Toby Rodwell posed a further threat to Savala’s ambition of wearing the No.6 jersey.
It’s why another Tricolours playmaker, Sandon Smith, asked for and received an early release to join Newcastle. Perhaps Savala also toyed with the idea of leaving when “DCE” became a Rooster?
“A little bit, but I always back myself,” he said. “Footy’s a funny thing – you always just put your best foot forward because something might happen or pop up. I came in with the attitude every day to just do my best, and some opportunities came up, and I sort of took them.”
Sunday’s clash with premiership favourites Penrith at CommBank Stadium is one such chance. An ankle injury to Walker has paired Savala with Cherry-Evans in the halves. In a twist, Walker is pushing to play again this year should the Roosters make the grand final.
The Panthers clash marks just the third time all season that Savala has started in the halves – and the first since July – after making a successful transition into the centres.
“It’s a great opportunity to go out there and just be myself, I guess,” he said. “We had a good week’s prep and the week before that, so I’m looking forward to it.
“Obviously opportunities come with everyone’s injuries and stuff like that. So it’s really disappointing [for Walker], but I’ve got to take this opportunity with two hands. I can’t wait to get out there Sunday.”
Savala’s relationship with Cherry-Evans is fascinating. Initially, Savala had to take a back seat to the veteran; he is now required to combine with him, before achieving his ultimate goal of replacing him.
“That’s obviously my preferred position,” Savala said of the five-eighth role. “I love this club, and obviously that would be a goal of mine to wear that number for a long time. I’m not trying to look too far forward, either.”
How the Savala-Cherry-Evans pairing gels could determine how far the Roosters progress in this finals series. While they have only played twice together in the halves, Savala has learned plenty from the former Manly captain.
“Probably a lot of stuff outside of football as well, with just the person he is, and then the way he conducts himself on the field and at training,” Savala said.
“Just little parts to his game have been big for me. Probably the vocals, the communication, and how he gets the boys around the park is going to be really key for me.”
Savala, at 194 centimetres and 96 kilograms, has a very different style to that of Walker. Strong defensively, the Coogee Wombats junior has a booming right boot and can also carry the ball strongly through traffic.
“We’re really looking forward to what Hugo is going to bring to the side,” Cherry-Evans said.
“It’s going to be different to Sam. It’s really important to call out that we don’t need him to be Sam, we need Hugo to be Hugo … Hugo has got a very, very strong career ahead of him in the halves. I’m excited to play alongside of him.”
While his immediate focus is on the finals, Savala’s season is poised to continue into October. The 24-year-old has joined teammates Victor Radley and Billy Smith in being selected in England’s squad for the Rugby League World Cup.
“My mum was born in England, and so was my dad,” Savala said. “My dad’s half-Scottish, half-English, and my mom’s half-English, half-Portuguese. My brother’s actually living over in the UK at the moment. I’ve got a lot of cousins and grandparents that are from there, and they’re very proud English people. So if I do get the opportunity to play, it’ll be an honour for me and my family.”