Have they? Who was it? I read an interview with Mick Robinson (who took it) and he claimed he sent it to his brother, who was the prson who lost his phone.

Was Robinson lying, then?


I was (obviously) comparing the cases of famous sportsmen behaving badly. As the argument seems to be about the sponsors, you'd perhaps agree that sponsors are neither RL companies nor soccer companies. They are just companies. It is the commercial decisions of those companies which are central. In this context, and sporting club - RL, soccer or whatever - if worried about their sponsorpship situation will act based on what it perceives as commercial imperatives. And nothing to do with the sport they play.


£2.75m? For a private gross prank? It deserved that? Easy for you to say from your high horse. What was your view on Leon Pryce squeezing players' balls, in public, then? Were all the Saints sponsors cool with that? Hypocrite.

If the star player from your team was sacked for such a trivial matter would you be happy? I wouldn't.

It has just been announced that 32 year old Leon Pryce is leaving Catalans at season's end for Hull FC www.bbc.com/sport/0/rugby-league/28107452 This should make 28 year old Todd Carney more attractive an option for Catalans in 2015. Perhaps he can be signed up for the remainder of 2014 as well.

It has just been announced that 32 year old Leon Pryce is leaving Catalans at season's end for Hull FC www.bbc.com/sport/0/rugby-league/28107452 This should make 28 year old Todd Carney more attractive an option for Catalans in 2015. Perhaps he can be signed up for the remainder of 2014 as well.

And let's not forget that Pryce has a couple of other high profile off-field incidents which sponsors wouldn't exactly endorse.

And let's not ignore the fact that probably the greatest British player ever to play RL spent time inside and there were disgusting rumours surrounding him.

And let's not forget that the presence of Todd Carney in the south of France would do wonders for the quality of Catalans attacking play, and hence the appeal of Super League.

Can't understand Jean, why everytime someone is cast out of the NRL, you feel they should go into rehab in the UK. Perhaps you feel Australia is the saviour of the British game or vice versa. But hey ho, good debate rather than completely fantasy based.
Is it Hull who have just terminated the contract of a player who joined them from the NRL recently, due to his continued breach of the Club's disciplinary policy?,
A problem which cost him his place in the NRL in the first place.
Todd Carney in the Championship, now that would be interesting, living the sporting life in London with all of his problems, might not be helpful to him.
Alcohol and drug abuse, and the domestic, social and criminal problems which accompany them are major issues for wealthy rugby players in Australia and here.
Has this guy been hung out to dry by his employers due to trial by social media? Was the content on a phone his own business? Did it happen recently? Had he breached his contract? What provisions are in place to help him find his way back to stability? He has a string of alcohol related misdemeanours behind him and this time his bosses called time. He may have a totally different outlook to all of this to everybody else. I would think it would be an NRL priority to help the guy further if they both agree and get him back rehabilitated into the NRL.

I would much rather Rugby League here concentrated on developing its own players through academies and better links with schools, community Clubs and Universities, and also concentrated on help, education and support to enable players to deal with their issues.

Greg Bird did a successful rehab when he played for Catalans a few years ago, after being cast out of the NRL for assaulting his girlfriend.

Now he is a reformed lad and playing State of Origin.

But he also helped lift Catalans when they were under the debilitating influence of failed coach Kevin Walters.

I think that all Super League fans enjoyed watching him play.

With Todd Carney it could be the same. He needs a couple of years out of Australia. He would be playing in France not the UK, as was Greg Bird. The English clubs, like the French, would still be free to develop their own young players. His presence wouldn't stop any of that.

Catalan's away games all in Toulouse? Of course he would be playing in the UK. What a stupid statement.

Jean makes plenty of those

I would think the late night game of knock and don't run would have been more of an issue.

He may not get a visa to visit the UK

Bird did although that was a farce too

No idea but I can't remember the name of the person. I don't think it was Robinson but I could be wrong.


One prank didn't no. But Carney has a record of them, some of them illegal and some of them not very nice at all. According to reports he'd had two warnings from the Sharkies already regarding his drinking so he deserved what he got.


Leon Pryce doesn't play for Saints anymore. You might have noticed this. He wanted to carry on playing with Saints but the club didn't offer him a contract extension. I wonder why that might be.



Since you had no idea what my thoughts were on Pryce grabbing another player's balls before you posted, how could you call me a hypocrite? You have no idea what my thoughts are on any of Saints' former players.

Carney is not a terrorist nor an organised crime figure, nor a rapist or murderer. His worst offences are that he has, while intoxicated, led the police on a high speed chase, and that he has urinated on the head of someone, which is a perverted act that happens all the time among the indigenous people of west Yorkshire.

Carney, if he signs with Catalans or Toulouse, should be allowed to play away games in the UK.

Exporting crims back the mother country, sounds fair to me. Just what Rl needs in UK, another dckhead Australian player, that will get the corporates rolling in.

So what exactly was the damage that Greg Bird caused for the Catalans Dragons when he was playing for the club? Do you have any evidence that corporates were turned off the club by his presence?

His criminal past involves more than a just high speed chase though. His rap sheet was listed on the Hull board when there was talk about us signing him. There is also a rule about a person's character, conduct and associations preventing you from coming to the UK. I would suggest that two of the three could be applied negatively to Carney.

The point about the Bird case was that effectively he was refused a visa [uto come to the UK to work[/u because he had a criminal record, but was then allowed [uto come to the UK to work[/u because he wasn't directly employed here. The conviction was still relevant but the UKBA took the bizarre approach that allowing a crim in the UK at weekends was OK. Farcical.

I pointed out at the time that the same "general grounds" rules apply to [uall[/u applications to enter the UK and Bird should, by their own rules, have been refused entry by UKBA each time Catalans came over. The same would and should apply to Carney if he can't get a visa to work/play for, say, London.

Well, that clears that up


You're seriously suggesting it's because of his occasional proclivity for testicular manipulations?




I don't?

It's true I'd assumed what your "thoughts" were on one player grabbing another player's gonads. As you intriguingly say I in fact have no idea, pray tell. Is that your bag? (pun intended). Do you in fact applaud it? Or do you concede I had a feckin good idea what your thoughts were after all?

You're in a glass house throwing stones. But maybe I'm wrong and you can link me to posts you made calling for Pryce's sacking?

I wouldn't be surprised if he's off to French union.
He's Rugby League playing days are over i hope.

Quote ="Huddersfield1895"I wouldn't be surprised if he's off to French union. He's Rugby League playing days are over i hope.'" www.examiner.co.uk/news/west-yor ... rs-5047918 I didn't know about the second offence. But manslaughter is a slightly more serious offence than stupid pranks, don't you think?

Quote ="Huddersfield1895"I wouldn't be surprised if he's off to French union. He's Rugby League playing days are over i hope.'" www.examiner.co.uk/news/west-yor ... rs-5047918 I didn't know about the second offence. But manslaughter is a slightly more serious offence than stupid pranks, don't you think?

Looks like a chance that Carney will come to Catalans: Catalan Dragons coach Laurent Frayssinous is keen to sign Todd Carney but expects plenty of competition from rival Super League clubs. Carney's future looks likely to lie overseas after Cronulla - following the publication of a lewd photograph - last week became the third NRL club to dismiss the five-eighth. Hull, Warrington and Salford have already ruled out making a move for Carney but four days after penning a new two-year coaching deal with the French club, Frayssinous has declared he's a big fan of the 28-year-old. "What I can tell you as a coach is everyone would love to have such a quality player," Frayssinous told UK paper The Daily Star. "He's one of the best stand-offs in the world and I'm pretty sure we can use the relationship his manager has with Super League clubs. "I suppose a lot of Super League teams will chase Todd Carney." Huddersfield signed Carney in 2008 after he was sacked by Canberra, but the move collapsed when he couldn't get a visa. In 2011, Carney had discussions with the Dragons - who then had Sydney Roosters coach Trent Robinson in charge - but he opted for a move to Cronulla. Just two weeks ago, the Dragons loaned Australian halfback Scott Dureau to the Roosters to make way for Carney's former Raiders teammate Sam Williams. The Dragons, based in the southern French city of Perpignan, helped resurrect the career of another disgraced Australian player, Greg Bird, in 2009. AAP Read more: www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/leag ... z36qXH4OTv

Looks like a chance that Carney will come to Catalans: Catalan Dragons coach Laurent Frayssinous is keen to sign Todd Carney but expects plenty of competition from rival Super League clubs. Carney's future looks likely to lie overseas after Cronulla - following the publication of a lewd photograph - last week became the third NRL club to dismiss the five-eighth. Hull, Warrington and Salford have already ruled out making a move for Carney but four days after penning a new two-year coaching deal with the French club, Frayssinous has declared he's a big fan of the 28-year-old. "What I can tell you as a coach is everyone would love to have such a quality player," Frayssinous told UK paper The Daily Star. "He's one of the best stand-offs in the world and I'm pretty sure we can use the relationship his manager has with Super League clubs. "I suppose a lot of Super League teams will chase Todd Carney." Huddersfield signed Carney in 2008 after he was sacked by Canberra, but the move collapsed when he couldn't get a visa. In 2011, Carney had discussions with the Dragons - who then had Sydney Roosters coach Trent Robinson in charge - but he opted for a move to Cronulla. Just two weeks ago, the Dragons loaned Australian halfback Scott Dureau to the Roosters to make way for Carney's former Raiders teammate Sam Williams. The Dragons, based in the southern French city of Perpignan, helped resurrect the career of another disgraced Australian player, Greg Bird, in 2009. AAP Read more: www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/leag ... z36qXH4OTv

It's pretty disgusting (not as disgusting as Monaghan mind) but I hardly think any kids are going to be jumping to copy him. If he had ed in a glass, chilled it and drank it he would be no different to Madonna or any of the other weirdos that drink urine. Sacking for this seems massively overblown. He basically gets the same punishment as Greg Bird who glassed his missus resulting in surgery...

He won't play for any English side because of problems with his visa due to him having a criminal record. Catalan would seem the most likely destination.

This act alone isn't the sole reason for his sacking - there have been 2 previous issues this season alone. Firstly, he failed to show up to the Sharks season launch because he was out on the grog - the club dealt with this internally, he got a wrap on the knuckles. The second incident was when he turned up to training under the influence - again the club dealt with this internally, a second and more serious wrap on the knuckles. He was told after that incident in no uncertain terms that he needed to clean up his act.

It's common knowledge he's been spending far too many nights out on the grog and his fitness and form have suffered as a result. His drinking buddies are well known in the area, and for all the wrong reasons, including dealing in illegal substances. Carney has ignored the numerous warnings he's been given, and Cronulla simply couldnt afford to turn a blind eye again this time when it's so public. The club are fighting hard to repair it's image after the ASADA stitch up and have actually secured sponsorship as a direct result of the stance they have taken with Carney.

Also, a point to note, Greg Bird was ultimately cleared of any wrong doing.

Still amazes me the way he managed to achieve this......

Yeah me too - but the law's an ass sometimes. In fairness to him though, he's completely turned his life around since then, and is a great example to people like Carney of someone who's been a complete jerk because of the drink, and has done something about it. It's no coincidence that since Bird and Gallen cut out their party lifestyles, they've become 2 of the premium forwards in the game.