I don’t know if he has just taken a huge reality bite or what, but all of a sudden Todd Carney is desperate to get back to playing Rugby League again.
His visa to go and play over in Super league has been rejected, the Raiders don’t want him back, and the NRL has said he can not play for any other Rugby League club until 2010.
That means Carney is screwed. If he wants to play Rugby League in Australia he will only be playing at the semi pro level, basically park football.
There is no doubt opposition NRL clubs would like to sign Carney up, but so far they have stood solid with the NRL. However it makes you wonder about a few things…
If Carney was allowed to play again in 2009, what message would that send to other players who act like morons? If the penalties imposed on players turn out to be flexible, then you’ll see those flexible rules eventually turn into no rules at all.
Another thing to question is the length of a ban for poor off field behavior. The average NRL career is about 5 years, so one year out of the game is a fairly hefty hit.
Is a six month ban a better option? Maybe the NRL should put clear cut, black and white rules in place that ends in a 6 month ban for first time offenders and a year long ban for repeat offenders.
Either way, Carney would still be out until 2010. He’s had a millions chances and blew all of them.
As for Canberra, they are not about to shit in their own bed and have him back. Maybe a better move for them is looking for some sort of compensation for allowing Carney to join an opposition club and taking the year long back back to the point where they originally suspended him.
Canberra could look for money, but I think if they could do a team to get a decent player in return, that may be the better way to go.
I’m sure some teams would be willing to offer decent talent in return too. The Raiders might be able to fill a few holes in their lineup going down that route.
