Exiled NRL half-back Todd Carney will not be returning to rugby league anytime soon amid a release dispute with his former club Northern Pride.
The 32-year old signed a short-term contract with Hull Kingston Rovers after his move to North Sydney did not eventuate. The transfer fell through after Carney refused to pay a $15,000 fee to the Pride to release him from his three-year deal.
And with the fee remaining unpaid, Carney is not permitted to suit up for any other team.
“The last thing we want to do is stand in the way of Todd Carney playing rugby league, but he still has unresolved contractual issues with the Northern Pride,” Pride chairman Tony Williamson told The Sydney Morning Herald.
“We are waiting for him and his manager to pick up the phone and resolve those issues so everyone can move forward.
“We’re not doing this to be smart or prevent his career from progressing, we’re doing this to compensate the fact he walked out on a three-year contract after six months.”
Carney acted like the release-fee did not exist on Fox Sports’ The Professor’s Second-Year Syndrome on Friday night.
“I signed two weeks ago and done my visa on Monday,” Carney told Fox Sports.
“I’m just waiting for that and I’ll be off.
“I spoke to Sheensy [Hull KR coach Tim Sheens] a number of times and I’m looking forward to getting over there, play some footy and finish off the year and return in a couple of months and see what happens from there.”
Williamson added that that Carney has not honoured his deal after the Pride took a punt on the controversial playmaker.
“We’re left with the damage he’s done after we showed him an enormous amount of goodwill and opportunity here,” Williamson said.
“We went in to bat for Todd Carney to enhance his football career, not just through the ISP [Intrust Super Premiership] level through us, but through the NRL via the Cowboys.
" He had a lot of good people in Cairns that backed him, in opposition to a lot of other people, that now look a bit silly.”
Comments are closed.