Saturday 4 October 2014 15:13, UK
The Rugby Football League has conditionally agreed to accept the registration of Australian stand-off Todd Carney, who has signed a three-year contract with Catalan Dragons.
Carney has been given the go-ahead to join the Dragons providing the controversial player and his Super League club agree to a series of conditions and place a £50,000 bond which they will forfeit if he breaks the rules or is convicted of a criminal act.
The governing body consulted with the National Rugby League in Australia over the 28-year-old, who was sacked by his club Cronulla Sharks in June after a lewd photograph was circulated on social media.
And the RFL says the conditions laid down are specifically designed to address Carney’s behaviour and assist with his rehabilitation. The player will also be expected to complete a player welfare programme.
A spokesman for the RFL said: "The bond will be forfeited and the registration possibly revoked should the player fail to complete his welfare programme, be found guilty of misconduct under the operational rules (other than on-field misconduct), be found guilty by the relevant authorities in any jurisdiction with a criminal offence and/or be found guilty of any breach of the RFL's anti-doping regulations.
"Under RFL operational rule C1:2:3 (b) the board has the discretionary power to refuse a registration if they reasonably believe that to do so would bring the game into disrepute or adversely affect the integrity of the competition."
Carney was given the green light to join Catalan despite opposition from Leeds chief executive Gary Hetherington, who had contacted the other Super League clubs in an effort to block the move, arguing it would "damage the integrity and profile" of the competition.
The signing was hailed as a coup by Catalan chairman Bernard Guasch, who compared it to the club's previous high-profile overseas recruits Stacey Jones, Steve Menzies and Greg Bird.
