Brian Carney (rugby): Difference between revisions

{{short description|GBGreat &Britain and Ireland international rugbydual leaguecode & unionrugby footballer, TV broadcaster &and pundit}}

|club1 = {{nobreak|[[GatesheadDublin ThunderBlues (1999)Rugby League|GatesheadDublin ThunderBlues]]}}

|year1start = 19991997

|year1end = 99

|appearances1 = 6

|tries1 = 2

|goals1 = 0

|fieldgoals1 = 0

|points1 = 8

|club2 = {{nobreak|[[HullGateshead F.C.Thunder (1999)|Gateshead Thunder]]}}

|year2start = 20001999

|appearances2 = 195

|tries2 = 82

|points2 = 328

|club3 = [[WiganHull WarriorsFC]]

|year3start = 20012000

|year3end = 05

|appearances3 = 11019

|tries3 = 488

|goals3 = 10

|points3 = 19432

|club4 = [[NewcastleWigan KnightsWarriors]]

|year4start = 20062001

|year4end = 05

|appearances4 = 26111

|tries4 = 1648

|goals4 = 01

|points4 = 64194

|club5 = [[WarringtonNewcastle WolvesKnights]]

|year5start = 20092006

|appearances5 = 426

|tries5 = 216

|points5 = 864

|teamAclub6 = {{nowrap|[[IrelandWarrington national rugby league team|IrelandWolves]]}}

|yearAstartyear6start = 20002009

|yearAendyear6end =

|appearancesAappearances6 = 4

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|pointsA = 812

|teamB = [[Great Britain national rugby league team{{rlnt|Great Britain]]}}

|yearCstart = 2003

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'''Brian Carney''' (born 23 July 1976) is an Irish professional [[rugby league]] commentator and former [[List of dual-code rugby internationals|dual-code rugby international]] player. He most recently played rugby league for [[Warrington Wolves]] ([[List of Warrington Wolves players|Heritage № 1086]]) , but he also played for [[Gateshead Thunder (1999)|Gateshead Thunder]], [[Hull F.C.]] ([[List of Hull F.C. players|Heritage № 979]]) and [[Wigan Warriors]] in the [[Super League]], as well as [[Newcastle Knights]] ([[List of Newcastle Knights players|Heritage № 182]]) in the [[National Rugby League|NRL]]. Carney crossed codes to play [[rugby union]] for [[Munster Rugby|Munster]] between 2007 and 2009. He earned [[Cap (sport)|caps]] for international representation, for Ireland in both [[Ireland national rugby league team|rugby league]] and [[Ireland national rugby union team|rugby union]], and also [[Great Britain national rugby league team|Great Britain and Ireland]] in rugby league.<ref name="Statistics at en.espn.co.uk (RU)"/><ref name="Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org (RL)"/> He also played [[Gaelic football]] as a junior.

Carney played [[Gaelic football]] for [[Valleymount GAA]] in west county Wicklow and won a junior championship medal in 1998 with the club. He also played rugby union at [[Clongowes Wood College]] and [[Lansdowne R.F.C.]] His first rugby league experience came with Irish amateurs [[Dublin Blues Rugby League|Dublin Blues]].

Carney transferred from Hull F.C. to [[Wigan Warriors|Wigan]] at the end of the 2000 [[Super League]] season. He had come to the attention of the Wigan board – who were very impressed with him – when he scored a try against Wigan in Gateshead's Super League on the Road victory at [[Tynecastle_Park|Tynecastle]]. Future Wigan scrum-half [[Willie Peters]], also shone in the same match. Since making the professional ranks, Carney, who is a qualified lawyer, was a regular in the senior colours of Ireland and featured heavily in the Lincoln Financial World Cup of 2000. Carney played for [[Wigan Warriors|Wigan]] on the wing in their [[2001 Super League Grand Final]] loss against [[Bradford Bulls|Bradford]].

Carney signed a new three-year contract with Wigan in May 2003, ending speculation that had been linking him with a move to Irish rugby union. After signing the deal, Carney commented: "I love it here at Wigan. I never wanted to play for any other club. "I just want to get better and better each week and keep my place in the first team. The spirit and friendship at this club is brilliant and I need to be part of it." His arrival at Wigan was initially hampered by injury but when he did break into the team, he was impressive. Carney played for [[Wigan Warriors|Wigan]] on the wing in the [[2003 Super League Grand Final]] which was lost to [[Bradford Bulls|Bradford]]. He'd forced himself into the [[Great Britain national rugby league team|Great Britain]] team for the [[2003 Ashes series]]. Carney made his GB and Ireland début in the First Test played at the [[JJB Stadium]], becoming the first Irishman to play for Great Britain and Ireland since [[Tom McKinney]] in 1957. In that match Carney scored two tries and was later named Great Britain and Ireland's player of the series.{{cn|date=October 2020}} Carney was selected for the 2003 Origin match after opting to play for [[Lancashire rugby league team|Lancashire]]. He was also included in the 2003 Super League 'Dream Team' and the 2003 Rugby League World magazine World XIII, and voted BBC North West's Rugby League Footballer of the Year in the same season.

Carney was to remain at Wigan for the 2006 season, but a month later he agreed a release from the final year of his Wigan contract to play in the NRL with [[Newcastle Knights|Newcastle]]. At the time Carney commented: "I'm very grateful to Wigan, they didn't have to do it (release him from his contract) but I explained my desire to get there because I feel time is running out." Carney made his debut for the Newcastle club at the age of 29{{age in years and 232 days|1976-07-23|2006-03-11}}, making him the oldest player in the [[National Rugby League|NRL]] era (since 1998) to make his first grade debut. Carney scored 16 tries in 26 games for Newcastle, including guiding his team to a 22–12 victory over the [[Canberra Raiders]] with a hat-trick of tries. After the game Carney expressed no desire to remain with the Newcastle club, choosing to honorhonour his contract with the Gold Coast. However, on 16 January 2007 he announced his retirement from all forms of rugby after only participating in one training session with the Gold Coast, indicating that he wished to finish his legal studies and spend more time with his family.

On 2 June 2009, the [[Warrington Wolves]] announced that they had signed Carney for the remainder of 2009's [[Super League XIV]]. The move was Carney's fifth signing to a rugby league team in his playing career, at the age of 32.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://superleague.co.uk/article.php?id=14281 |title=Carney joins Wolves |publisher=superleague.co.uk |access-date=2 June 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110830064346/http://superleague.co.uk/article.php?id=14281 |archive-date=30 August 2011 }}</ref> On 2 June 2009 edition of the [[Sky Sports]] rugby league magazine show, ''[[Boots N' All]]'', Carney vehemently denied that a return to rugby league would lead to a subsequent career with the [[England national rugby league team|EnglishEngland national team]], in favour of his own [[Ireland national rugby league team|native team]]. Carney provided commentary for Sky Sport's coverage of the [[2009 Super League Grand Final]], and the 2009 Gillette Four Nations tournament. He finished his career at Warrington at the end of 2009 and regularly appears on [[Sky Sports]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/rugby_league/article7052382.ece|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605012730/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/rugby_league/article7052382.ece|url-status=dead|archive-date=5 June 2011|work=The Times|location=London|title=Brian Carney is a league apart|date=7 March 2010|access-date=26 April 2010|first=Nick|last=Greenslade}}</ref>

[[Category:Gaelic games writers and broadcasterscommentators]]