Carney ends speculation over future

Speculation of Todd Carney‘s rumoured move away from Cronulla has been put to bed after he agreed a long term deal to remain with the club.

Penrith and the New Zealand Warriors were among the NRL teams in the market to sign the 26-year-old, whose current deal at the Sharks expires at the end of next season.

The former Canberra and Sydney Roosters playmaker was reportedly subject to more than one lucrative offer, but has opted to remain in the Sutherland shire until the end of the 2018 season.

“I’m happy to have made the decision to be staying at the Sharks and to be settled for the next five years. We have a strong playing group here and I’m excited to have the chance of working with them,” Carney said.

Once known as the ‘bad boy’ of the NRL, Carney was controversially sacked by Canberra after a series of off-field incidents and infamously de-registered by league bosses for the 2009 season.

However Carney appears to have settled with the Sharks, who signed him in 2011 following his release from the Roosters, with whom he committed a number of disciplinary breaches.

Sharks coach Stuart Flanagan says he is delighted at retaining Carney.

“I was always confident Todd would stay but he was offered big money contracts at other clubs so we had to let the negotiation process run its course,” Flanagan said. “His decision is a great show of loyalty towards the club and is also an expression of faith in the long term future of the Sharks.”