Australian skipper Cameron Smith urged Daly Cherry-Evans to take confidence in his role as Manly’s chief shot-caller before the rookie Kangaroos half helped Australia to a vital Four Nations win on Sunday.

Cherry-Evans dominated the NRL for much of the season in his Sea Eagles playmaking role.

But with the 25-year-old’s confidence on the wane ahead of Sunday’s clash with England at AAMI Park, Smith pulled the man they call DCE aside pre-game to give some words of advice.

The result was Cherry-Evans was one of the best on the park in Australia’s 16-12 win and laid on the match-winning try for Greg Inglis.

“I thought he was very good, he was more like the Cherry-Evans we all know,” Smtih said.

“I actually said to him on the field after he made that line break and passed inside to Inglis.

“I spoke to him in the warm up just about him playing a role he plays every week for Manly, he gets the ball often, he likes taking the line on and he says he wanted to make more of an impact this week.”

Cherry-Evans put the past behind him in outplaying long-time Australian halfback Cooper Cronk and helping to keep Australia’s Four Nations hopes alive.

“His involvement was great,” Smith said.

“His calls for me to get the balls were very, very dominant today and that is what you need from a half, not relying on a guy who has been there for a while in Coops but having options either side of our ruck and it is great to see him step up today when we needed him.”