Roosters looking to get their coop in order

Todd Carney and the Sydney Roosters must be hoping the NRL club’s new slogan for the 2010 season of “New Attitude, New Beginning” stands up.

The Bondi Junction club is desperate to rebound from a shocking 2009 season plagued by embarrassing on-field performances that led to a wooden spoon finish and a litany of appalling off-field behaviour.

They have hired a new coach in Brian Smith, a talented but troubled player in Carney, and a fresh perspective according to skipper Braith Anasta.

“We have got quite a lot to prove as a club,” he acknowledged on the first day of pre-season training.

“Last year (2009) wasn’t our best year and we are trying to set some high standards and build a good culture here and it has all started today.

“We have to rebuild, we have the playing roster here and we have always had that, we had that last year.

“Obviously our discipline on and off the field we let ourselves down and it wasn’t the standard we would have liked.

“We want to make this club (one) we want to play for and (one) that people want to support and be proud of and we have a lot of hard work to do.

“We are confident with the new structures we have in place and the new coaching staff and the players we have got here that we will be able to be successful.”

But the Roosters must first solve the Willie Mason problem.

The big man’s prospects of remaining at the club appear slim at best after he was allowed to fly to Japan to talk to rugby union clubs and skip the start of pre-season.

Anasta wasn’t keen to talk about his good mate’s situation – cutting short his scheduled chat with the media following a series of questions regarding Mason.

However the No.6 was more than accommodating earlier talking about the 23-year-old Carney; the skipper prepared to move from five-eighth for the talented playmaker.

Anasta also backed his new teammate to keep out of trouble after the ex-Canberra pivot fronted for his first day of official duty at the Roosters.

“He wants to take his opportunity with two hands and all of us at the club will be helping him do that and make sure that he does the best he can and stays on track and I am confident that will be the case,” Anasta said.

Carney, who hoped to shake off a bit of pre-season flab by Christmas time, said he couldn’t afford any more slip-ups after spending this year in NRL exile playing for the Atherton Roosters in far north Queensland.

“Yeah definitely I think everyone knows there are no more chances, me especially,” he said.

“So I am just here to really give it a go and hopefully I can make a career out of it.”

Carney will spend this week unpacking boxes in his new flat with old Canberra teammate Phil Graham, who has also moved to the Roosters during the off-season.

Let’s hope a familiar face doesn’t encourage Carney to return to his old ways.

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