Frustrated Carnegie players demand crisis talks

YORKSHIRE CARNEGIE players will demand answers from chairman Dave Dockray at a meeting on Tuesday as fears over the future of the club as a viable Championship side continue to grow.

The board’s failure to meet contract renewal deadlines has caused frustration and uncertainty within the squad and, with majority shareholder Jon Wright rumoured to have withdrawn his financial support, matters have come to a head.

Carnegie’s board has not been in a position to talk with players for next season because they had nothing concrete to offer, leaving them free to look elsewhere for opportunities.

Long-serving lock Matt Smith has signed for Doncaster, prop Andrew Foster is set to follow and centre Pete Lucock could yet join them but, like a lot of the squad, he is hanging on to see if the board can pull something out of the bag.

Andrew Forsyth, is definitely on his way after agreeing a dual registration deal with former club Leicester and Coventry.

Meanwhile, England U20 No.9 Oli Fox is attracting interest from the Premiership with Bath believed to be keen. Chris Elder and Dan Temm are poised for moves to Chinnor and Bedford.

With Carnegie’s seven incontract players, including skipper Rich Mayhew, taking up much of next season’s meagre budget, stringent cutbacks appear inevitable – unless they find a club willing to pay a fee or are paid off.

The Leeds-based club have been up against it financially since the 10-year, £1 million-a-year Carnegie sponsorship deal ran its course after the Championship play-off defeat to London Irish in 2017, and was effectively replaced by a contra arrangement based around facilities and players.

But the picture now looks bleaker than ever before, and a move out of Headingley looks a real possibility as it would save the club around £400,000 in rent.

As well as being a hammer blow to Leeds Rhinos’ finances, it would almost certainly signal the end of full-time professional Rugby Union in the city.