Cronulla skipper Paul Gallen has rubbished suggestions Todd Carney had nowhere else to go, saying the former Dally M medallist wanted to become a Shark.
Cronulla's decision to sign Carney, who has been sacked by two other clubs, to a two-year deal has been portrayed as the desperate act of a struggling club.
But Gallen is adamant the 25-year-old has bought into the Sharks' belief they can improve on three seasons with no finals action.
"The most exciting thing for us is that he wanted to come and play for us, there were reports that there were no offers on the table which were not true," Gallen said.
"Todd wanted to come to us, it wasn't like he had no one else, and that is a great thing for us as a club."