Justin Carney opens up about Cas exit

Correspondent

Justin Carney has admitted he is entirely at fault over his untimely exit from Castleford but says he won’t be walking way from his contract.

Carney was a cult figure at the Tigers but he left the club, after an incident with a teammate’s partner, at the end of 2015.

The big winger signed a season-long loan with Salford.

Carney will face Castleford when the Red Devils take on the Tigers on March 13.

“I know the reception I’m going to get at Cas isn’t going to be a good one but that’s my own undoing,” Carney told PA Sport.

“That’s no one’s fault. I’ve just got to do my job and get on with it.”

Carney has four-years left on his contract at the Jungle and considered returning to his native Australia.

“I did but Super League suits me and obviously I have a contract that I’ve got to fulfil,” Carney said.

“It’s a short life in rugby league and you’ve got to do what’s best for you and your family and your kids.

“What’s happened has happened; it’s my fault entirely and I don’t hate anyone for that. I don’t carry any hatred towards anyone. I did the wrong thing and I hold my hands up.

“But when it comes down to it, I’m not going to walk away from my contract. Everyone that I talked to has shaken their head at that but I’ve made that decision.

“A lot of people are going to go against me but I’m in it to do what’s best for me and my family. That’s a big part of me. I want my kids to say ‘I’m proud of my dad’.”

At this stage Carney is expected to return to Castleford at the end of the 2016 season but the winger said he will address that “down the line”.

“My main focus is to get this six or seven months out of the road, get down to what I do best,” he said.

“That other stuff will take care of itself, it goes with how I perform out on the field.”

Carney believes there is real potential at Salford to achieve something this season.

“It’s very much got a Cas feel about it,” he said.

“When I first went to Cas, it was a young side with a lot of potential. When Daryl Powell took over, there were a lot of good people in the right places to make the club go forward.

“People wrote this club off and to be honest I did beforehand but, after being here and with this group of guys, in years down the line I see it going up levels.

“There are a lot of people who work hard. There’s a long way to go but there’s a lot of potential at this club and there is nothing to say we can’t do something this year.”