Fans hit the web to show support for a fallen star

[peter_raiders]

Fans hit the web to show support for a fallen star
Sam Worthington

Canberra Raiders fans have lent their support to embattled halfback Todd Carney. An independent Raiders supporters internet forum has set up an online petition, encouraging the club to retain Carney.
The forum was awash with messages of support for the 20-year-old, who is facing a possible jail term after being charged with failing to stop when directed by police, negligent driving and driving while disqualified after allegedly leading police on a high-speed chase on Friday.
Raiders management has suspended Carney and teammate Steve Irwin, who was also involved in the incident.
The website, ( www.[I]thegh[/I].com.au ), claims it's the largest Raiders forum on the internet.
Carney made his NRL debut in 2004 aged 18, against the Canterbury Bulldogs.
He has represented Australia at Junior Kangaroo level and earlier this month retired great Andrew Johns called on NSW selectors to consider for State of Origin.
Carney has scored four tries in seven appearances for the Raiders this season.
Raiders fan Marko Milinkovic called for Raiders management to show patience towards Carney and feared rival NRL clubs would swoop if he was released. "Please don't sack the future of our club, he needs some help and support. By all means suspend him for the rest of the year, but sacking him will just result in another club signing him up."
Another, Trent Bowman, said Carney was a rare talent and fans deserved to continue enjoying his skills. "While Todd's actions have been incredibly disappointing, as a supporter I feel sacking him would only do the club more harm than good at this point. We as supporters have waited so long to see a player of his calibre at the club, please dont release him," he said.
An anonymous message said Carney's age should be taken into consideration. "Todd Carney has made a few mistakes. What 20-year-old hasn't. Todd is also the best prospect the Raiders have had in a very long time. This kid, and our other young prospects at the club, have given the Canberra fans hope. If Todd's contract is torn up, you can bet your bottom dollar he will be signed by another club before the pieces have hit the floor. There is no doubt that Todd will be a star when he sorts himself out. Let's be the club to help him do that and not the one that threw him away."




http://canberra.yourguide.com.au/de... league&story_id=586735&category=Rugby League

 

[canberra_raiders2k2]

thats pretty lame..supporting a criminal, the guy ran away from police...this sort of bias support has to end sooner or later, players cannot be doing this sort of crap without a punishment.

Its a waste of talent but he isnt bigger then raiders or the law.

 

[always a raider]

Get over it ya w**k.

 

[raidersforme]

thats pretty lame..supporting a criminal, the guy ran away from police...this sort of bias support has to end sooner or later, players cannot be doing this sort of crap without a punishment.

Its a waste of talent but he isnt bigger then raiders or the law.

He will front the judical system and get his punishment, Which whatever it is will be fair, If not he has the right to appeal. I feel he needs a very stern punishment/counselling system given to him, with an extremely long probationary period.

I think everyone knows he will get judical punishment, what people are calling for is that he is not removed from his employment, for his actions which do not affect his ability to perform his job. I know of guys at work who have been done for various traffic offense's, and they are still here, one guy we found out, didn't have a license and was driving a company car, the car was removed from him but he kept his job.

 

[Bay56]

thats pretty lame..supporting a criminal, the guy ran away from police...this sort of bias support has to end sooner or later, players cannot be doing this sort of crap without a punishment.

Its a waste of talent but he isnt bigger then raiders or the law.

geez mate ... give the youny guy a breakf ffs

we've all made mistakes in the past ... imo Carney will become a much better Raiders citizen after this episode.

I would rate this indiscretion as an error of judgement rather than a crime.

 

[Tom Shines]

thats pretty lame..supporting a criminal, the guy ran away from police...this sort of bias support has to end sooner or later, players cannot be doing this sort of crap without a punishment..

Worked for Ben Cousins.

 

[canberra_raiders2k2]

Get over it ya w**k.

Pfft...

Your the one grabbing your nuts just thinking of Carney playing for the raiders.

Like i said earlier, its the fact that i do not believe Carney is capable of changing..i dont see the point in investing in a player that is likely to continue down this path.

If the raiders keep him, ill support him..but he hasnt said anything that i didnt expect.

We are not talking about a guy who ran from a taxi or pranked pizza hut...his had 2 or 3 drink driving priors. If this were Howell everyone would call for his head, that is my problem..the only reason this is viewed differently to any other scenario is due to everyone wanting a schmuck to continue to play here in Canberra.

As a player i think Carney could be a great, but it shouldnt be used in determining the raiders course of action.

I do not understand why everyone (well most people) want him to stay..yet certian players get injured and the only thing that is spoken is "well at least his out of the team". Id rather Carney playing for the raiders then any other team, but he simply will continue to make these sorts of mistakes.

call me whatever you want, just remember i never said anything at you or anyone else, i have said some negative comments at Carney but as much as you wish, you are not him.

 

[jed]

Like i said earlier, its the fact that i do not believe Carney is capable of changing..i dont see the point in investing in a player that is likely to continue down this path.
If the raiders keep him, ill support him..but he hasnt said anything that i didnt expect.

You're basing this judgement on what? You know Todd personally? You've met him after games? Or you've read a few newspaper articles over the last few months, and drawn conclusions from that? A few years ago, many people may have drawn the same conclusion about Willy Mason, but he has cleaned his act up considerably, much to my surprise. I'm not saying Todd is the same as Mason, but people can learn from their mistakes and grow, why shouldn't Todd?

 

[always a raider]

You have been Carney bashing in every single thread! And if it was Howell of course we would be calling for his head Einstein, he's rubbish. Carney is not.

 

[Chachi]

I am the first to admit I reacted emotionally when I first called for the club to sack him. While I think that option should definitely still be on the table it is clear that there is a bit of background to the story and any outcome/penalty needs to be carefully considered if we are to get a good result for the club, player, sponsors, fans and family involved.

During lunch I heard a very interesting interview on ABC radio with Carney's 'personal' sponsor (i.e. the one arranged through the club). Like many, his first reaction was to disassociate himself with Todd ASAP due to the negative press and correspondence he had already received. However, on reflection, he and his wife decided they would do anything they could to help Carney out. They clearly wanted the club to keep him and to assist him in sorting out his issues. He spoke very highly of Todd but recognised he has problems that need to be addressed right now. He dead-set spoke of him like one of his own children (of which he had 6) which was quite an eye opener for me.

Now we've also had Dunemann come out in his column in full support of Carney (with the rest of our leadership group) and I am almost certain the rest of the boys would hate to see him sacked by the club. Even Schifcofske has thrown in his 2 cents of support.

I don't know what the answer is here, but it is clear to me that Todd Carney has a QUEUE of people lining up to support him through this drama. For that alone he is a VERY lucky individual IMO. If he has half a brain he will recognise that fact and not take it for granted in the future.

This is why I'm loving our club right now and is also why I hate seeing guys like Todd Carney abuse that privilege. I am sure our board will take everything into account when they make their decision and I will be happy with whatever they decide.

 

[dubby]

I am the first to admit I reacted emotionally when I first called for the club to sack him. While I think that option should definitely still be on the table it is clear that there is a bit of background to the story and any outcome/penalty needs to be carefully considered if we are to get a good result for the club, player, sponsors, fans and family involved.

During lunch I heard a very interesting interview on ABC radio with Carney's 'personal' sponsor (i.e. the one arranged through the club). Like many, his first reaction was to disassociate himself with Todd ASAP due to the negative press and correspondence he had already received. However, on reflection, he and his wife decided they would do anything they could to help Carney out. They clearly wanted the club to keep him and to assist him in sorting out his issues. He spoke very highly of Todd but recognised he has problems that need to be addressed right now. He dead-set spoke of him like one of his own children (of which he had 6) which was quite an eye opener for me.

Now we've also had Dunemann come out in his column in full support of Carney (with the rest of our leadership group) and I am almost certain the rest of the boys would hate to see him sacked by the club. Even Schifcofske has thrown in his 2 cents of support.

I don't know what the answer is here, but it is clear to me that Todd Carney has a QUEUE of people lining up to support him through this drama. For that alone he is a VERY lucky individual IMO. If he has half a brain he will recognise that fact and not take it for granted in the future.

This is why I'm loving our club right now and is also why I hate seeing guys like Todd Carney abuse that privilege. I am sure our board will take everything into account when they make their decision and I will be happy with whatever they decide.

Great post. Well said Chachi.

 

[nickraider]

I'm with you Chachi, in that I too reacted emotionally when I first heard about the incident. Todd carney obviously has some issues that need addressing, but as has been said before, the guy is only 20 and is human after all. I think back to when I was 20 and I too did some stupid things and I wasn't the 'star' Todd Carney is. It must be very hard for a 20yr old of his calibre and earning the big bucks to stay level headed. I also read in the Courier Mail today that according to his mother, he has a few personal problems involving his father that may have contributed to this latest incident.

Guess we'll just have to wait and see what the outcome is, but deep down, I hope that Todd Carney remains a Canberra Raider.

 

[Mal Meninga]

I want Toddy to stay at the club and become a great player but he has to prove to the fans and management he's capable of changing his tune. I'll support him but I can see it from 2k2's point of view. One thing that sticks out in my mind is that it's most likely his last chance, not just at the Raiders, but in life. Another criminal act, and we won't have to worry about de-registering or another club wanting to poach him.

It's blind support for our best talent in a decade, but I hope the club and his peers make him realise that we're not just talking about footy anymore.....

 

[hrundi99]

geez mate ... give the youny guy a breakf ffs

we've all made mistakes in the past ... imo Carney will become a much better Raiders citizen after this episode.

I've never got points on my license let alone lost it, so this whole "we've all made mistakes" thing is a cop out.

I would rate this indiscretion as an error of judgement rather than a crime.

No Bay, driving without a license is a crime.

 

[hrundi99]

You have been Carney bashing in every single thread! And if it was Howell of course we would be calling for his head Einstein, he's rubbish. Carney is not.

You don't see the hypocrisy in your statement?

 

[Timbo]

You have been Carney bashing in every single thread! And if it was Howell of course we would be calling for his head Einstein, he's rubbish. Carney is not.

Well done. You just did more to prove 2k2's point than he could've ever done himself.

 

[VictorTheViking]

While its true, that he needs to be punished, id hate to see the club cause it self more harm in this situation, think about it, gets sacked, gets a new contract, and is playing for someone else within a few weeks of being sacked, and then we are back to where we were in the middle of elliotts reign, nowhere.

Id like to think that if the club do keep him, that they impose some form of suspension on him (6-8 weeks??) ontop of what he may get from the courts.

 

[Chachi]

I personally would like to think our club is stronger than whatever happens to a 20 year old half. If the kid got a serious injury (God forbid) and couldn't play ever again life would go on.

I don't want this decision to be based on whether the Canberra Raiders would survive if Todd Carney has to go. Of course we would.

Anyway, we are jumping the gun here. When all is said and done it would be a very sad day to lose such a talented player under these circumstances.

 

[Raider_69]

I've never got points on my license let alone lost it, so this whole "we've all made mistakes" thing is a cop out.



No Bay, driving without a license is a crime.

Ok, lets forget points for a moment mate, have you ever made a mistake in you're life?
have you ever done something you deeply regret? and did this mistake cost what it could cost carney?

Im not silly enough to say ive never made a mistake, ive made plenty of them, and will make plenty more no doubts, some probably worse then some of Carney's infringments, yet here i am, fulltime, stable job, completely debt free, living on my own, about to purchase a new car...

ill tell ya this much, im glad im not in a position where some of my mistakes would have cost me a chance at doing some of this. I learnt from some very poor decisions, as have many of my mates, so too can Todd.

 

[Bay56]

You're basing this judgement on what? You know Todd personally? You've met him after games? Or you've read a few newspaper articles over the last few months, and drawn conclusions from that? A few years ago, many people may have drawn the same conclusion about Willy Mason, but he has cleaned his act up considerably, much to my surprise. I'm not saying Todd is the same as Mason, but people can learn from their mistakes and grow, why shouldn't Todd?

Totally agree with your comments jedski.

Good to see that some on this forum have taken stock of their original comments and taken a broader view.