Todd Carney signs with Aussie club
TODD Carney will return to Queensland's Far North next season after signing a three-year deal with the Northern Pride for 2018.
The controversial halfback has been drawn to the lure of opportunities after football at the Intrust Super Cup club as he looks to forge a coaching career.
Northern Pride CEO Greg Dowling said he was convinced the troubled star had "grown up a lot" and was always confident he would come around to sign on despite offers in England.
"I was always confident. It has been going on for a while but deep down I was confident," he said.
"He's looking at moving into the next phase of his career and life after football and we want to give him on opportunity
"Todd's someone who can steer us around the park. We were a ship without a rudder this year."
Carney played in the Cairns District Rugby League for Atherton Roosters in 2009 after a string of off-field incidents saw him sacked from the Raiders and the NRL refused to register a contract.
He returned to the NRL with Sydney Roosters the next season and later moved to the Sharks.
Carney was sacked in 2014 after a photograph emerged of him appearing to urinate in his own mouth.
Dowling said he did not think his past would deter sponsors or provoke a backlash from fans of the club.
Carney will arrive in Cairns in mid-November.
