Gold Coast NRL team signs Carney
22:01 AEST Thu Jun 30 2005
AAP
The Gold Coast's player roster boasts two internationals and a Dally M winner after Great Britain winger Brian Carney became the NRL club's third high-profile signing.
Carney will link with NSW and Australian prop Luke Bailey as well as Penrith livewire Preston Campbell on the tourist strip after signing a two-year deal with the Coast.
Carney will now get to test himself against the best wingers in the world after emerging as one of the game's leading finishers in last year's Tri-Nations tournament in England.
The likeable Irishman scored three tries in five games after rebounding from an injury-plagued 2004 English Super League season with Wigan.
Carney will relocate to Australia at the end of 2006 when his current contract with the Warriors expire.
The 28-year-old has formed a devastating wing combination with former North Sydney and Queensland speedster Brett Dallas at Wigan.
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Gold Coast managing director Michael Searle said Carney was always high on the priority list despite declaring last week that halfback, five-eighth, fullback and the front row were the key positions to fill.
"He was always going to be a key signing for us because he's a Great Britain international and highly regarded by most in the game as the best winger in the game," Searle said.
"He's certainly been the best performed winger over the last two Tri-Nations series without any doubt.
"The guy genuinely wanted to come here. He wants to challenge himself in the National Rugby League.
"The difficult thing with all English rugby league players is that they have to take a pay-cut to come to our game.
"But Brian's a guy that is highly motivated and recognises that he's competed at the absolute pinnacle of our game, which is Great Britain v Australia, but wants to test himself week in week out.
"The guy's a genuine character and he'll become an icon for our base too."
Searle spent 12 days in England sounding out several Super League players a fortnight ago.
But he said the club wouldn't be announcing further signings of overseas players, or NRL stars, after the anti-tampering deadline expires at midnight.
"We never saw ourselves as coming in and doing a ram-raid on the other clubs," Searle said.
"We're going to talk to players more that have expressed an interest in coming here and that's been our core recruitment policy."
While Carney's signing took the Gold Coast's player tally to three, the club will take a further two months before deciding on a name.
The Gold Coast, previously known as the Dolphins, lost the moniker when Queensland Cup side Redcliffe threatened legal action.
Searle said fans would be asked to vote on the club's website for a new name after a short-list of 10 was revealed.
Fans will get to choose between Stingers, Ironmen, Cardinals, Titans, Swell, Pirates, Marlins, Breakers, Rhinos and Rockz with a wildcard selection also allowed.
"We've got a wildcard icon (on the website) and the reason we've done that is that if fans aren't happy that their name isn't there, they can insert the name they wanted," he said.
"I suppose it's a satisfaction test to a certain extent and if we get enough votes through this method it may make our top five."
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=48631
