Todd Carney says he has plenty to prove ahead of Salford bow
Friday 3 March 2017 12:48, UK
Controversial half-back Todd Carney insists he still has plenty to prove in the Betfred Super League as he closes in on a debut for Salford.
The Australian, who was international player of the year and Dally M Medal winner in 2010, has been sacked by all three of his NRL clubs and left Catalans Dragons last September under a cloud with two years left on his contract.
Carney, whose proposed move to Huddersfield in 2008 collapsed when he was refused a visa due to his court appearances, arrived in England 11 days ago to take up a 12-month contract with the Red Devils after finally getting the go-ahead.
The 30-year-old told a press conference at the AJ Bell Stadium that he is keen to regain the form that earned him selection for New South Wales and Australia.
Carney, who is still involved in a legal claim against his old club Cronulla over a compensation for what he says is wrongful dismissal, has not ruled out finishing his career in Super League.
"The first thing we spoke about when I signed was doing a number of years, but my focus was to come here and prove that I'm capable of making the team and getting back to the best of my ability as player," Carney said.
"Once I do that, we can then speak about the long term. First and foremost I just want to get out and play some really good football and get back to the top of the tree which I know I can do.
"I definitely have a lot more to give."
Carney, who lost weight for a boxing match with former Warrington half-back Chris Sandow in Sydney in December, is still building up his fitness and will not be risked in Saturday's match against Warrington.
"He's getting there," Salford coach Ian Watson said. "His first week was very rusty and his second week has been a lot better so hopefully he can have a good week next week and we can bring him into the group.
"He's settling in really well and he'll bring a different dimension to us. His kicking game is good, his game management is first class and you don't win a Dally M without being a super player."
Watson admits he addressed Carney's past, which has been blighted by drink-related issues, before completing negotiations and sought the views of his three former Canberra team-mates who are already at the AJ Bell Stadium.
"I like to do a lot of research on people and I spoke with Justin Carney, Junior Sa'u and Michael Dobson about what Todd was like as a person and the impact he'd have on our group," Watson said.
"All of them said he is a great bloke and very professional in what he does on the training field. It's the little bits off the field that have followed him around.
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"You can't ignore the history Todd has got and it's something we spoke openly about before we'd even considered signing him. He was up front and honest and was glad we approached it because I don't think people have done that before.
"You're never going to stop someone having a drink - it's how much they drink and who they surround themselves with.
"We've got a pretty strong group here who are keen to embrace Todd and harness that and encourage him to be the right way. We're on the same path at the moment."
Catalans were forced to deposit a bond with the Rugby Football League to guarantee the player's good behaviour before they could register him two years ago but Carney insists he is happy to fall in line with the culture being nurtured by Watson.
"Ian likes to be straight forward and before I signed he laid down the way he likes to coach and the culture he's got here and the direction the club is going," Carney said.
"He was pretty vocal about the standards off the field and I assured him that wasn't going to be an issue for me. As you get older, everything changes. The main issue for me is getting my fitness up and getting out there and playing football."
