Carney studies JT to improve game
February 04, 2008
REFORMING Canberra playmaker Todd Carney is using his coach's inside knowledge of superstar Johnathan Thurston's game as he seeks to make good on talk he could be NSW's next Origin No.7.
The 21-year-old, whose talent has been overshadowed in recent seasons by a spate of driving offences, said he is picking the brain of coach Neil Henry, who was formerly an assistant at Thurston's club North Queensland.
"Neil's been a big help with me with that because obviously he's worked with Thurston when he was at the Cowboys and he tries to give me as much as he can," Carney told AAP.
"In the last 12 months, with Neil down in Canberra, I try to watch (Thurston's) game very closely because he's the benchmark really at the moment in the halves."
With NSW suffering a trough in their halfback stocks, Carney's name was mentioned by no less than the legendary Andrew Johns last year.
But Carney's attention is more focused on a certain Queensland No.7.
"You can always see that when he's going to go to the line he's always got options," Carney said of Test halfback Thurston.
"You see some halves, they go to the line and they're stuck by themselves but when he goes to the line he's got players with him.
"Any time he runs there's a fair chance he's going to go through so I guess you watch how he demands players and how he shuffles around the field."
One thing about the Dally M medallist that Carney will not be trying to emulate is Thurston's recent night in the Townsville lock-up.
Carney was last year sentenced to 200 hours of community service and banned from driving until 2012, as well as suspended by his club, but the Raiders linchpin said he was confident he could put his off-field problems behind him in 2008.
"2007's long gone for me now," he said.
"That's the good thing about football, you can change your name by one game and that's what I'm going to hope to do in 2008, to wipe 2007 from my mind and everyone else's mind really.
"There's a lot of other blokes in the same position as me at a young age and they do it, so why can't I?"
And Carney has a new positive influence in his life, childhood hero and Raiders legend Laurie Daley, who is working with the club as a coaching consultant.
"Just his presence, him being there, is a buzz and just the little things he picks up that some people don't pick up on is enormous," Carney said.
Daley has been concentrating on getting the young Raiders' on-field talk going.
"He'll pull you aside and go, `why didn't you say this and that?'" Carney said.
"That's a good thing because then you're realising that you've got to say it for it to happen and demand it.
"I sort of want to change the role of halfback at Canberra too, back to a more dominant leadership role."
Carney is aware of the "next big thing" talk and is aiming for NSW Country, and hopefully Origin, selection this year before his four-year deal at the Raiders concludes.
"It's all pretty new to me and also pretty exciting," he said of his off-contract status.
"Canberra's been great to me and there's a great bunch of players and coaching staff down there so I guess there's no real reason to leave, but you have to wait and see how things pan out and what happens I guess."
AAP
