T George Illawarra has gone to war with the Wests Tigers over Tim Moltzen, but the ultimate loser could be Cronulla as speculation mounts the Dragons could make a move for Todd Carney. NRL salary-cap auditor Ian Schubert has been charged with deciding Moltzen's fate, but it appears increasingly unlikely the Tigers utility will play with the Dragons next season, given his desire to remain at his current club.
Even if Schubert decides in St George Illawarra's favour, a compensation deal appears certain to be hammered out. That could result in the Dragons making a play for Carney, who parted ways with the Sydney Roosters last month.
The Sharks remain the clear favourite to land Carney, having tabled a healthy two-year offer, but the Dragons could scuttle their plans.
St George Illawarra is well-stocked with halves, given the presence of NSW five-eighth Jamie Soward and former Test halfback Ben Hornby. However, the club has options should it decide to pursue Carney.
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One would be to move Hornby to fullback, a position he played for both the Dragons and NSW before making the switch to the halves. The other would be to revive the Roosters' short-lived plan to play Carney at fullback.
Carney played the opening seven games of the 2010 season in the No 1 jersey, winning two man-of-the-match awards before being shifted to the halves.
He went on to win the Dally M player-of-the-year award, but his career went south this year after a series of off-field incidents. A move to the Dragons would also mean Carney was closer to two of the positive influences on his life: his mother, Leanne, and his manager, David Riolo.
Riolo lives in Wollongong but yesterday refused to confirm or deny whether the Dragons held an interest in his client. Any potential move for Carney is likely to be contingent on the speed with which Schubert can resolve the Moltzen debacle.
Carney is expected to make an announcement on his future by the middle of next week, meaning the longer Schubert takes, the more likely it becomes he will join the Sharks.
Schubert has received the paperwork from the Dragons, Tigers and Moltzen's manager, Martin Tauber, and could come up with a decision as early as tomorrow, although it's more likely the matter will be determined early next week.
Meanwhile, former St George Illawarra forward Jason Ryles, cut by the Sydney Roosters recently, is expected to join Melbourne next year.
The Storm was on the look-out for frontrowers after the retirement of Adam Woolnough and Troy Thompson in the off-season.
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