Daryl Powell breaks silence on Justin Carney's departure from Castleford

Castleford coach Daryl Powell has spoken for the first time about the acrimonious departure of winger Justin Carney.

The 27-year-old Australian was a big fans' favourite at Castleford, where he was affectionately known as the "tank on the flank" for the devastating finishing power that brought him 63 tries in 62 appearances.

But his presence at the club became untenable towards the end of last season when reports emerged of an affair with the partner of a Castleford team-mate and, after weeks of uncertainty, he joined Salford on a season-long loan for 2016.

The Red Devils announced on Monday they had secured his services on a permanent basis and on Tuesday Powell lifted his silence on the matter, revealing that Salford were the only club to express an interest in signing Carney.

"Justin has found a new club and it's the best thing for both parties," Powell said. "At the end of the day, he is a good player but there are certain things that you can accept in a rugby league club and there are certain things that you can't.

"I hope our fans understand that there was just no way that we could accept what happened."

In a pre-season interview with Press Association Sport, Carney accepted responsibility for his actions and spoke of his desire to make a fresh start.

Powell did not elaborate on the incident but admitted there was no possibility of Carney returning to the Tigers.

"There is a lot of truth and honesty in rugby league and that's the most important thing for me," he added. "Justin has said he was wrong - and yeah, you're dead set right he was wrong, in every single way - so people take their punishment and move on. It's important he did that.

"It was a rough thing to go through, things like that are, but it is done now and we move on. It was a difficult situation but I thought we dealt with it, as a club, impeccably in my mind."

Carney scored two tries in Salford's win at Castleford last month and his presence in the Red Devils team will add extra spice to the Ladbrokes Challenge Cup sixth-round tie between the two clubs on May 7.

Powell added: "I think it's really important now that everybody just moves on and we get on with the job of playing rugby league.

"We'll be seeing him in a couple of weeks' time here at the Jungle and we need to come out on top of that game. The most important thing for me now is what we have got in front of us, we've got to move on from this."