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A life-defining week ahead for Grant Hackett and Todd Carney

Todd Carney appears set to sign with North Sydney. (AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts)
Expert
2nd April, 2015
0

Both champion swimmer Grant Hackett and rugby league’s Dally M winner Todd Carney have been to hell and back in recent times.

The facts are crystal clear, both have created their own hell, with no-one to blame but themselves.

Redemption awaits, if they are good enough.

Hackett’s chances of redemption starts today at the Australian swimming championships in Sydney, which are doubling as selection trials for the worlds in Russia, next July.

“To win selection for Russia would be like winning an Olympic medal,” was how the 34-year-old described his chances.

Hackett retired six years ago, and since then has had far too many brain explosions in life that not only severely damaged his high personal image rightfully earned as a swimming legend, but also cost him his marriage.

Now back to his relaxed best and at ease with himself, Hackett has made this a very low-key “comeback” bid, unlike Ian Thorpe’s very public attempt to make the 2012 London Olympics, that ended as an embarrassment to the legend.

Hackett, the two-time Olympic 1500 freestyle champion in 2000 and 2004, with silver in 2008, will be competing in the 200 freestyle heats today, and the 400 freestyle heats tomorrow, which will give him a very early indication of where he’s at.

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Good luck to him.

Todd Carney is another loose cannon who has been his own worst enemy.

There’s no doubting his high quality rugby league ability, proven as the 2010 Dally M winner.

But everywhere Carney has played there’s been easily averted high drama. He’s been a train wreck at the Raiders, Rooster, and Sharks where his latest NRL contract was torn up.

Carney has won a legal battle against Sharks for wrongful dismissal, he was never allowed by the club to have his say, as the Sharks denied his due process.

So Carney signed with French club Catalans in the Super League, where he’s currently out of action with broken ribs,

Despite the setback, there’s a very good chance Carney will reopen negotiations with the Sharks for a return to the NRL when all appeared lost.

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And Manly is circling to have Carney on board next season as a replacement for either Daly Cherry-Evans when he heads for the Titans, or for Kieran Foran who has signed with Parramatta.

But first of all Carney has to prove to any interested club, and especially the NRL, that he’s a “fit and proper” person to be given his fourth last chance.

He’s far too good a player to be ignored, and if Grant Hackett can get his act together, there’s no reason why Todd Carney can’t do the same.

The next week will be the litmus test for both.

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