Incoming Manly coach Trent Barrett will give Daly Cherry-Evans a roving licence similar to Johnathan Thurston in a bid to give his star playmaker greater control of the side.

In his first interview since taking over from Geoff Toovey, Barrett said he wanted Cherry-Evans to mould the side into his own over the coming years.

He said that the 26-year-old halfback was wasted playing on just one side of the field and will be given permission to float across field during his reign.

Thurston is one of the few NRL playmakers who carries the ball on both sides of the ruck and Barrett said he wanted Cherry-Evans to copy the North Queensland captain’s game plan.

“I’d like to see him on the ball, I don’t want to see him locked on the right-hand side,” Barrett told NRL 360 on Fox Sports.

“I think it’s the waste of a champion player.

“You’ve got Johnathan Thurston (who plays on both sides) and I think Daly can have a similar effect to what JT does at the Cowboys.”

Barrett has started work at the club’s Narrabeen base in preparation for the 2016 season.

He comes to the Sea Eagles after a stint as Penrith assistant coach.

Barrett was moved on by Panthers management after speculation linking him to the Manly job began to emerge.

He denied having signed a contract before Toovey was officially sacked and said he was disappointed at being pushed out mid-season by the Panthers.

“I was disappointed, to be honest, that I was asked to move on,” Barrett said.

“But I understood (coach) Ivan’s (Cleary) call there, the speculation surrounding me and the Manly job and being linked to it was a disruption to the side.”