The sport was left stunned on Friday by news Cherry-Evans would forgo a contract option to remain with NRL heavyweights Sydney Roosters and instead finish his storied career at middling English side Hull FC.
The Roosters had an appetite to keep the premiership-winning playmaker, who is enjoying a great first season since a messy exit from Manly at the end of last year.
Instead, Cherry-Evans - the second-most capped player in league history - signed a one-year contract on Tuesday night to become the Super League's highest-profile acquisition in recent memory.
For 37-year-old Cherry-Evans, the time felt right to interrogate a long-held curiosity, and take his family of five on an overseas adventure.
"As a person, deep down, I've always had that curiosity about what Super League would be like," Cherry-Evans said.
"There was definitely that voice in my head saying, 'Stay in the NRL, keep living out that dream'.
"But there's more to my story than just me playing in the NRL.
"What an amazing opportunity I'm going to be able to have, to go and play rugby league in the UK with my wife and kids, who will probably be old enough to remember it years down the track."
A premiership winner in his rookie 2011 season, Cherry-Evans appears in prime position to book-end his NRL career with another title at the first-placed Roosters.
Cherry-Evans is focused on that goal, but said he was ready for the possibility his decision to move overseas could cost him an NRL premiership ring in 2027.
"I do feel like this club is set up for long-term success, absolutely," he said.
"Will I be jealous if this club does something like win a premiership next year? I'll always be happy for the players I've made friendships with. But they're just hypotheticals, honestly."
Cherry-Evans has never visited Kingston upon Hull, the isolated city of fewer than half a million residents where his family will move for 2027.
But Cherry-Evans said personal connections nevertheless drew him to Hull, who are coached by former Roosters assistant Steve McNamara.
"(Hull) was where the energy flowed and the conversations flowed most naturally, just through relationships and friendships within the game," Cherry-Evans said.
"Just to keep it broad and not to single anyone out, there's some people at this club that I feel like I owe a lot to, not just to get me here to play for the Roosters, but in helping out my future."
Cherry-Evans insisted he had no formal coaching deal on the table at either the Roosters or Sea Eagles for retirement.
One of the game's sharpest minds, Cherry-Evans said he was not yet ready to properly consider off-field opportunities.
"Definitely having those little conversations in the background, but not serious enough to consider a role," he said.
"When the time's right, if those opportunities are still there, then I'm genuinely going to want to consider it.
"But nothing at the moment."
Cherry-Evans' impending move will bring down the curtains on one of the NRL's most storied careers.
The Queenslander has a string of records including the most 40-20s ever kicked, most golden-point winners and most field goals in the NRL era.
He also captained both Queensland and Australia, helping lead the Maroons to three State of Origin series wins and also claiming a Clive Churchill Medal in 2013.
Facing the media on Friday, Cherry-Evans did not yet feel in position to reflect on his career as a second premiership beckoned in 2026.
"I'm not looking to go down memory lane just yet. There's a bit of work to be done here at the Roosters," he said.
"But everything that's been done to date, I'm very, very proud of and as I've said all year, I'm hoping the best is yet to come."
