15 February 2009

NRL tells Raiders - You don't actually own Todd Carney's soul

| johnboy
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[First filed: February 14, 2009 @ 08:28]

The Melbourne Herald Sun has a piece on the future of perennial RiotACT favourite Todd Carney.

The man who gave us a new word for urination (as in, “Back in a sec, “I’m just going to take a Carney”) is now hoping to get a run in the Goulburn bush leagues.

The Raiders, having terminated Carney’s contract are maintaining a proprietorial view of their former player and are insisting he not be allowed to play anywhere anyhow.

How would you feel dear reader if the last boss who sacked you kept walking into your job interviews demanding they hire someone else?

The NRL has, until now, backed Raiderly demands that Carney not be registered in their competition.

But it seems they’re not so keen on helping the Raiders pursue the vendetta into the bush leagues:

    “We would be vehemently opposed to it,” Raiders chairman John McIntyre reckons. NRL boss David Gallop wasn’t so sure when this column spoke to him yesterday: “Registration is ultimately a question for the Country Rugby League, but we wouldn’t stand in the way. Whether the Raiders like it or not, it’s not their call.”

I think most people would like to see Todd do hard yakka for a living in 2009, but what we’d like and what we get aren’t the same thing.

And I have to admit that as a drinker I have a sneaking admiration for a man who’ll turn his back on $350,000 for the right to walk into a pub and ask for a beer.

UPDATED: The Herald Sun now has word that Todd is willing to get off the sauce in exchange for absolution from Raiders’ management. Anyone want to bet we won’t see him running around in green before the end of the year?

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Jeez I’m glad I didn’t have incredible Rugby skills or I’d never have learned any of the hard knocks lessons I did!

It would be good if Todd could lay off the piss because everyone agrees that’s when he gets bad and other than that he’s a good bloke. But didn’t I read somewhere that it’s addictive and there are people who have alcoholism in their blood who just can’t function without it?

But hey – tall poopy and all….what to expect from you jealous folk?

As a Sydney paper noted – current Raiders forward Dane Tilse had to sit out a year after mucking up in Bathurst during a pre-season trip with the Knights. Know what he did? He was a bricklayer with his Dad for the year. And have we heard boo from him since he got his contract with the Raiders? Nope – seems like the year out proved to be just the lesson he needed….

Todd – you do the crime – you do the time.

I agree with what vg said.
Carney deserves at least a year off for his actions off the field, preferably earning a quid in the real mans world and especially at the rates a person of his limited work experience would earn.
My opinion is the club did the right thing and any other decision would’ve reinforced this bloke’s misguided (and I include his manager) belief that he is entitiled to another chance.
Welcome to the real world Toddy, suck it up.

“The Raiders should also come up with policies that apply to players in difficulties and that are applied to all players regardless of how valuable the club regards them.”

What exactly were the ‘difficulties’ faced by Carney? The ramifications of his stupidity? These are ramifications that Joe Average faces every day without needing special treatment. Carney and his ilk should get down on bended knee every day and thank God that Rugby League was invented. Without it they’d be digging ditches or cleaning toilets (not that there’s anything wrong with that on another tangent). Guess Carney will now have to find out the fiscal realities of every day life now that he has thrown away the golden egg not once, not twice, but thrice.

Don’t ask me to have any sympathy for him. I would have lost my job after the ‘pursuit incident’ and would never had gotten the opportunity to work in the same industry again. Why should this clown be treated any differently.

The sad thing is this year will be his holiday, a Gap year if you will. He’ll be back on the field next year none the worse for wear

I reckon that Carney should sit out a season of NRL, play anywhere else where a team will have him and be allowed to be picked up by any NRL club prepared to give him a chance in 2010 in the same way the Raiders have given wayward players a second chance in the past. The Raiders should also come up with policies that apply to players in difficulties and that are applied to all players regardless of how valuable the club regards them.

I reckon that doing hard yakka for a living and playing in CRL aren’t mutually exclusive, it’s not like it pays that well.

johnboy said :

Best not to discuss moderation at all as it’s offtopic.

But dissenting opinion without malice is always welcome, which I took this to be.

Is offtopic a new word or is johnboy just taking back the space he has given hek62

Much as I love the guy (and much as he and the Furners ARE the Raiders), John McIntyre can’t be relied upon as a mouthpiece for the club.

Media outlets love him because he usually says something controversial, but it’s also usually quite inaccurate.

Best not to discuss moderation at all as it’s offtopic.

But dissenting opinion without malice is always welcome, which I took this to be.

hek62 said :

And I have to admit that as a drinker I have a sneaking admiration for a man who’ll turn his back on $350,000 for the right to walk into a pub and ask for a beer.

You’re just as dumb as he is !

Pssst: it’s not a good idea to insult the guy that can put us into moderation, dude…

And I have to admit that as a drinker I have a sneaking admiration for a man who’ll turn his back on $350,000 for the right to walk into a pub and ask for a beer.

You’re just as dumb as he is !

Somehow I don’t think playing in the Goulburn league will help Carney address his problems with alcohol. I’d say if he goes ahead with this then he won’t exorcise his demons and he can kiss any return to the NRL goodbye.

As long as Carney is not playing in the NRL (and it seems there is no chance of this in 2009) then the Raiders should let the fool be. Preventing Carney from playing country league makes them look a bit paranoid. Besides, I don’t think the opposition players in the Goulburn league would go too softly on Carney.

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