Say what you want about Todd Carney, but he has a story to tell. In 2010 he made the Grand Final with Sydney, just a year after they finished with the Wooden Spoon. While during that campaign he also won the very prestigious Dally M Award. However, this is also the same man who got sacked from Cronulla for urinating in his own mouth.
He's also represented both NSW and Australia on the biggest stage, but again a lowlight from his so far very interesting Rugby League career was being sacked by Canberra due to his countless 'child-like' stuff-ups. This is the story of Todd Carney, a bloke from Goulbourn who's had maybe one too many drinks for his lifetime is probably a bit stupid, but maybe, just maybe, isn't all that bad after all.
Fun times all round in Canberra for Carney
During the 2004 season, Carney first stepped out onto the field for the first time as a Raiders player. He would be with them until eventually getting let go in 2009. Throughout the 2006 campaign, Carney was stellar bagging 12 meat pies in only 18 games. While throughout his tenure for the Raiders he scored an impressive total of 29 tries in 71 games while ending up with a total of 262 points. However, on the 16th of December 2006 is when things quickly turned sour for this man after he was charged with both drink-driving and reckless-driving. The end result was being suspended from driving any motor vehicle for a total of five years. However, on the 18th of May, 2007, he was stupid enough to drive former teammates Steve Irwin's vehicle.
The sirens were on and the Police were after him as he lost traction momentarily going around a corner. Carney, however, did not stop and instead kept on going. After Carney turned into a dead-end street he chose to have fled the scene on foot. A very dumb move despite the fact that he did turn himself in the next day. The end result was a 12-month good behaviour order, 200 hours of community service and yet another driving ban. Irwin was unfairly sacked despite being only a passenger in Carney's joyride while Todd himself being the biggest d**k head out, stayed in a job.
While at a Canberra nightclub in 2008 it was alleged that Carney urinated on a man. At this point despite his enormous potential/ talent, sacking him would have been the smartest thing for the club to do. No player is worth that amount of baggage. Yet he stayed and repaid Canberra for their constant, under-appreciated loyalty. Despite the nightclub claim eventually being removed it sparked more interest in Carney's police chase incident. Irwin revealed that he had been intoxicated whilst driving. This caused Canberra to draw up a five-point plan for Carney. One of the major ones being him going on an alcohol ban. He rejected it and as a result Canberra finally got the message and sacked him. However, years later with both Josh Dugan and Blake Ferguson being booted by the club, you have to wonder whether they're their own problems or if the club is the actual problem itself? Regardless it was no doubt a long time coming for Carney who got what he deserved.
What weird stuff he got up to in Bondi
After getting sacked by the Raiders he played the next two seasons of his quickly sadly dwindling career for the Roosters. Here he would score a try every two games for them (22/44), kick 113 goals for them, lead them to a GF and claim a Dally M to top it all of. However, his drinking and general crap choices, unfortunately, weren't left behind at the Nations Capital either. The first one came on the 26th of February 2011 when Carney was faced with a low-range drink-driving charge.
Just over a month later he was caught in the act drinking with Anthony Watts a man with his own well-publicised issues. This caused the NRL to stand Carney down and forced him to get treatment for his behavioural issues. While in August 2011 Carney along with two other teammates broke a squad alcohol ban and as a result, the three of them were suspended. Whilst among the other stuff Carney got up to during his short stay in Bondi was lighting a man's ass on fire as a supposed new years eve joke, him injuring himself after trying to gain access to his building after locking himself out and having a short and failed fling with Liz Cantor.
From the Shire to Hull
During his short stint in the Sutherland Shire Carney won for the second time in his career the Dally M Five-Eighth of the Year Award. About the only highlight from his time there as he was given the boot after a photo emerged of him urinating into his own mouth, in what is now known as the infamous 'bubbler' incident. Admittedly, not the smartest thing to do, however, is it really being given the sack worthy?
After the Sharks, he headed to France and then England to play League and he did so with reasonable success. Fast forward to 2018 and he represented the Northern Pride despite strong and constant rumours linking him to the Northern Beaches. Then after that, he signed up to play with JT in tropical North Queensland but shortly after returned home to Sydney for supposed family reasons. And with the way the Cowboys are attacking this season, he 1000% would have helped them, but their loss! And it turned out to be HKR's gain. He's currently on a contract with the Rovers till the end of their respective season. While somewhere along the lines during his countless errors or judgment or whatever Carney himself would coin them as, there was a bit of karma for his dumb choices as one night a group of four men assaulted Carney.
Carney's made some absolutely shocking choices in his life, there's absolutely no doubt about it! He's an idiot, a d**k head, a w****r, everything. But he also has obvious problems with alcohol and he is an example of while he was still under the care and guidance of the NRL they needed to step in stronger and help him more than they were. Because they could have saved him, but instead very disgustingly opted not to and instead cut him loose like a wild animal. Carney may be a lost-cause, but there are other players out their just like him, help them before they too transform into an alcoholic, reckless maniac like Carney.
Is Todd Carney a complete lost soul to rugby league? Let us know in the comments below.