The whispers are getting louder and louder that Todd Carney is on the verge of leaving the Cronulla Sharks and will be playing for the Penrith Panthers in 2014.
I’ve been skeptical that this was going to happen for a while now for two reasons…
First of all, I think Carney is happy and settled at the Cronulla Sharks. They picked him up without any hesitation when he was sacked by the Roosters and they stuck by him. I think Carney wanted to show them some loyalty by sticking with them.
The second reason I didn’t think he would end up at Penrith is because I felt as though the St George/Illawarra Dragons were willing to do what ever it took to get him. If he did leave the Sharks, I was certain he was going to join the Dragons.
While we have seen a few reports in the media suggesting Carney is about to re-sign with the Sharks, it now seems that the Panthers are favorites to get his signature.
The Penrith Panthers really need Todd Carney. Desperately. After missing out on Johnathan Thurston and having only recruited Brent Kite and Jamie Soward to bolster what is a struggling team, Penrith really needed a blue chipper they could build a side around.
Todd Carney is that blue chip player.
Penrith has moved a lot of salary cap space to make a big time signing. Even now, I keep hearing that some very high profile players are going to be moved on to free up cap space for next season. All of that salary cap space had to result in a big name signing.
Playing alongside Jamie Soward, Todd Carney would give the Panthers one of the best halves combinations in the competition. Both players posses a great kicking game, both are dangerous ball runners, both are players that have led teams to Grand Finals…there wouldn’t be too many better halves combinations in the competition than Todd Carney and Jamie Soward.
Losing Carney would be a brutal blow to the Cronulla Sharks.
With Carney in the side the Sharks are a contender. Without him they are a team that plays its arse off but that can not compete against the competition favorites. The Sharks would be gutted to see him leave, and no doubt it would be a tough decision to leave the club as it goes through the ASADA investigation. At the end of the day money talks, and Penrith have a lot of money to spend!
As a Panthers fan, I hope we do sign Todd Carney. Our fan base needs something to get excited about. Having just watched one of our best local juniors carve us up last weekend, Panthers fans had every right to feel pissed off about the way our teams recruitment process has been going.
Carney is a big boost and hopefully he is the first of a few good signings that will give Panthers fans a reason to get out and watch the team after. After all, losing sucks!
