NRL BOSS REFUSES T O RUSH CARNEY CALL
A CONCLUSION to the Todd Carney saga appears several days away, with NRL boss Todd Greenberg yet to meet with the playmaker as he decides whether to register his Cowboys contract.
Greenberg was in Townsville on Monday and Tuesday for a pre- planned catch- up with Cowboys hierarchy, but told media in Sydney yesterday he is yet to sit down with Carney.
The NRL is being diligent through the process after the public relations disaster which followed the registration of controversial forward Matt Lodge at Brisbane.
“I haven’t sat down with Todd yet, although I did spend a good period of time in Townsville yesterday ( Tuesday) speaking to the board of the Cowboys and their football department, including their coach,” Greenberg said. “We’ve got an assessment to make and we’ll do that relatively quickly, and I’ll look to sit in front of Todd within the next week or two.”
Greenberg said there would be strict conditions in Carney’s contract in an effort to avoid the discipline issues which saw him banned from the NRL in 2014. However, he indicated it would not include a blanket alcohol ban for the former NSW State of Origin five- eighth.
“There'll be specific conditions in his contract registration, as there will be specific conditions in the club’s contract registration,” Greenberg said. “They’ll be centred around ensuring that previous mistakes and behavioural issues he’s encountered doesn’t happen again.
“People want it to go as fast as I possibly can, but you’ve seen historically I’ll do it methodically and professionally.”
It is a frustrating wait for the 31- year- old, who got the green light to begin training with the Cowboys last week.
If Carney does return, Greenberg has already told Cowboys officials the lines of communication with the media and public must be open to make clear his rehabilitation.
It comes after Greenberg admitted earlier this year that Lodge should have been made to speak over the summer, where he was largely shielded from the media and unable to tell his story to the public.
“The primary lesson is about how we communicate it,” Greenberg said, while speaking at the announcement of the new Touch Football premiership yesterday.
Cowboys coach Paul Green is confident the NRL will rule in their favour.
“I’m reasonably confident, but it’s not a simple process for obvious reasons,” Green said.