League: Carney cleared to play bush footy

Former Canberra Raider Todd Carney will look to resurrect his football career in the Queensland lower leagues. Photo / Getty Images.

NRL star Todd Carney has been cleared by the Canberra Raiders to play bush footy despite initial concerns about the terms of the deal.

The Atherton Roosters - who play in the Cairns competition - appeared to have pulled off one of bush footy's biggest coups by signing the ex-Canberra playmaker on a one-year deal earlier this week.

But Canberra chairman John McIntyre was concerned that Carney would live and work at a hotel as part of the deal.

Carney was sensationally dumped by Canberra and deregistered by the NRL last August following a string of alcohol-related indiscretions.

Giving up alcohol was one of the conditions Canberra placed on Carney to save his career after he urinated on a pub patron last July, but he refused.

However, Carney was given the green light to play for Atherton Roosters after NRL chief executive David Gallop met with the Raiders board on Friday to discuss the issue.

"I tabled a clearance request for Todd Carney for the Atherton Roosters," Raiders chief executive Don Furner said.

"Whilst our club's very disappointed Todd never took up our offer to rehabilitate him and to play football at this club, the board resolved not to stand in his way to play at Atherton, so we will issue that clearance to the Queensland Rugby League this afternoon."

Gallop supported the decision.

"Our position for sometime has been, while we don't want to see him play in the NRL, we're comfortable that he play football below the NRL," he told reporters.

"Giving him the opportunity to do something that's normal for him and hopefully work on some of the issues that led to his termination here (in Canberra), with view to potentially playing again in 2010."

- AAP