It might be too much to heap onto the shoulders of Todd Carney, but many could be asking can Carney ‘save the Sharks’ on Saturday night after two losses to start the 2014 season.
Without a whole host of their stars, including the Sharks premier playmaker for the first two rounds of the competition, Carney’s return from a hamstring strain is sure to give his team a boost for the all-important clash tomorrow night.
Carney injured a hamstring at the Auckland Nines during the recent pre-season and despite being close to a comeback each of the first two rounds, only now is confident his leg can hold up to the demands of an NRL match.
After commencing full training last week, medical staff have given him the all clear and he will run out in his familiar number six jersey for a game the Sharks will be desperate to win.
“I’ve done everything (at training) for the last week and a half now and the body is feeling good and I’m ready to go,” Carney told a media gathering before training on Friday.
As for his teams chances, Carney was upbeat, believing if the Sharks could stick to a simple game plan they were every chance of upsetting the currently undefeated Dragons side.
“If we compete, kick long, play them down the other end of the field, then we’ll be a good chance,” he said.
During his time in front of the media today Carney discussed a number of topics relating to the big game, including nullifying the impact of new Dragons recruit Gareth Widdop, with a full replay of the Carney interview now playing on Sharks TV.
The local derby is expected to attract a large and enthusiastic crowd, with reserved seating sold out. There are however still plenty of general admission tickets for sale, with fans encouraged to purchase on-line to avoid the queues on game day and to receive a discount on at the gate prices.
The Sharks v Dragons NRL match gets underway at 7.00pm, with the game the third of three to be contested at Remondis Stadium on the day.
