North Queensland are confident they don't need Todd Carney after the controversial former Dally M Medal winner's walkout on the club because they've got faith in rising star Jake Clifford.
Carney's walk-out on a three-year deal with Intrust Super Cup club the Northern Pride, has on the face of it, come at the worst possible time for the struggling Cowboys who had been in the process of trying to get a contract for the former NSW five-eighth registered with the NRL.
However, the 31-year-old's decision to leave for Sydney due to family reasons has opened the door for Clifford to fast-track his own development.
The highly regarded 20-year-old rising star, who was playing alongside Carney in the halves for the Northern Pride, was the National Youth Competition player of the year in 2017 and is regarded by the Cowboys as the best halfback in the Intrust Super Cup.
Cowboys general manager of football Peter Parr told NRL.com recently the club had extended Clifford's contract until the end of 2020 as they prepare for life after Johnathan Thurston.
Ipswich Jets co-coach Shane Walker also told NRL.com how Clifford had posed far more of a threat than Carney in 2018 and that is a view shared by the Cowboys.
The Cowboys are confident that if he had to play in the Telstra Premiership later this year he would be able to handle it.
Carney, who had been training with the Cowboys while he was playing for the Pride, informed Parr on Monday that he was leaving the region.
"Todd rang me and said that because of family reasons he needed to move back towards Sydney to spend more time with his mother and sisters," Parr, who is also on the board of the Northern Pride, told NRL.com.
"He said he needed to make a decision that wasn't based on football, and move. He didn't ring up to discuss it. He rang up to tell me that he was going.
"We are disappointed. We have to accept that is what he's going to do, but we have options and it doesn't change a lot for us.
"We thought Todd would provide us good depth in a key position but at the moment we've got Johnathan and Michael Morgan in the halves, Te Maire Martin playing off the bench and one of the best players in the Intrust Super Cup at the moment in Jake Clifford."
The Cowboys were prepared to give Carney an opportunity and spent a lot of time and resources on facilitating his return to the NRL and believed they were close to getting a positive result.
"We had some good dialogue with Todd Greenberg and Nick Weeks in relation to Todd Carney," Parr said. "My expectation was that they would register the contract with a set of conditions attached. My own view on it was that we were close to getting a registered contract but Todd has decided to go in another direction."
There have been reports that Carney may emerge in Sydney with an Intrust Super Premiership side.
For that to happen Carney would need the Northern Pride to grant him a release.
Replies
No
No, walking negative headline. BA only recruits guys who are serious about redeeming themselves. The fact Carney has been sacked from every club he's played for means he's never been serious.
Carney himself has said he has a problem with alcohol but that he's not going to do anything about it. Sounds to me like he's not really having a crack.
Carney's sacking was a disgrace I'd much rather him back than either Packer or Lodge, Nick Phips did much worse and was only fined 4k at the Waratahs.
I don't think we need him I would love to see him back in the NRL though
people tend to forget his previous other list of misdemeanours that was a mile long - the bubbler was just the last straw.
no thanks to carney.
ironically, he is apparently off to the newtown jets (feeder for sharks...)
This is Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Todd_Carney
He does not get it.
Phipps was really tame compared to Carney. I mean, Phipps has never set someone on fire.
Pissing all over the bar or pissing in your OWN mouth in the bathroom which is worse?
Didn't the Burgess boys have vandalising spree in Townsville, no charges were laid over the pants on fire thing sounds like he wasn't the only drunk that night. Drink driving well how many current players are guilty of that one ffs even Fittler got busted pissing in public, not to mention the Johns boys antics.
At the end of the day Carney is no worse than Mitchell Pearce and if all those blokes can still play why shouldn't Todd?
and that's why he classed as first class dickhead by so many people
agreed and the NRL have a bit to answer for. Note under previous regime he was banned. Too many inconsistencies for me. Like the refs, TPA's and player managers.
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