What we learned from Todd Carney and Alex McKinnon in 2014

This year will forever be remembered for two players who had contrasting years. One, a gifted young player whose career ended via a tackle, another who ended his own career through his own actions.

Alex McKinnon
Red-haired. Twenty-two. Quietly spoken. Played for the Dragons and the Knights. I think he has a small tattoo on his shoulder. Super-coach Wayne Bennett wrote a touching tribute to a young guy who is mature for his age, selfless and determined. One game for Country Origin.

He is young player whose career was tragically cut short through a tackle gone wrong, whose life will most likely be confined to a wheelchair. A young man well thought of in the rugby league community that the NRL has given him a “job for life” and have dedicated a special donation round to contribute to his rehabilitation.

The round will feature a hash-tag on Twitter: #RiseforAlex.

Todd Carney
Dark haired. Twenty-eight. So heavily tattooed he could be an ad for an art gallery. An Australian and New South Wales Origin representative. Sacked by three clubs for off-field indiscretions. Golden Boot winner.

A player whose latest incident, a lewd picture of him published on social media on the weekend, may spell the end of his NRL career. The hash-tag “#toddcarney” is also trending on Twitter, but followed by references to water fountains and jokes at his expense.

Both had the rugby league world at their feet. One may not get another chance to play in the NRL, for his state or country again. The other will probably never play sport again.

What can other NRL players learn from McKinnon and Carney’s contrasting year?

Firstly, never take your NRL career for granted. McKinnon, by doing the right thing in his employer, is getting the continued support of the NRL and his club, the Newcastle Knights. Carney, through his continued indiscretions (according to coach David Furner) seems to have gone through his career not learning from previous off-field mistakes. Sacked once is a mistake, twice is a habit, three is a serious problem.

Secondly, treat your status as an employee of your club with respect. McKinnon did. The NRL are rewarding the 22-year-old with good will, publicity to help donations and creating community events under his name, even though he is a non-player. Carney’s lack of awareness about how his actions can impact his club, team and the NRL was galling. Who cares, it’s just a bit of fun between mates? Cronulla didn’t think so.

We have also learned that the NRL hasn’t seemed to learn how to educate their players on their roles as brand ambassadors, as role models, as salespeople for their chosen sport. Reject the notion at your peril.

The brand isn’t the club. As much as the Warriors, Knights, Roosters or Storm would like you to believe, the NRL’s brand starts and ends with the players.

Example: each year, the NRL and clubs invest time and money into marketing campaigns design to attract new members, spectators and sponsors to the sport. This year, we had Feleti Mateo, Josh and Brett Morris, Robbie Farah, Cooper Cronk, Johnathan Thurston, Jarryd Hayne, Greg Bird, Greg Inglis, Josh Papalii, Corey Parker and Daly Cherry-Evans front a television advert to drive NRL club memberships.

These are a cross-section of the NRL’s biggest and most recognisable names. They also are, in the eyes of the fans, players’ to look up to, to emulate, to copy, the most marketable. They epitomise “role-model”. Unfortunately, that message doesn’t seem to get through or get successfully delivered to all players, elite or otherwise.

Carney clearly still hasn’t got the message. So too Blake Ferguson, Josh Dugan, Nate Myles, George Burgess and James Tamou, all letting themselves down over the past two years with off-field incidents.

Gifted sportspeople sometimes are different then the rest. They act up because they feel the normal rules don’t apply. Cricketers, rugby league and soccer players – no sport is immune. No excuses, but enough of a volume of incidents to not ignore this either.

Finally, Carney has paid the price for fame. Footballers don’t seek it. They play the sport they are good at to earn money and attempt to have successful professional careers. Fame comes after that if you are really good at it. Maybe now, Carney can do a job where he can be one of the lads, where a late night drinking session or picture won’t cause him to lose his job.

Italian fashion designer Robert Cavalli once said of fame, “In the beginning, I loved being famous, but now I am tired of it and I would like to go back to my freedom.”

Todd Carney now has the option of doing just that.