Carney flew back from New Zealand on Sunday, then subsequently had scans in St Leonard’s which revealed a minor grade one tear.
Sports physician and Sharks club doctor George Pitsis, explained that while they had initial concerns the injury could keep Carney sidelined long term, scan results were positive for the Sharks ahead of the kick off to the 2014 season on March 10.
“It was the same leg, his right hamstring, as the one he injured late last season,” Dr Pitsis explained. “He thought and we thought he may have done significant damage to the same area but an MRI has shown a superficial, grade one tear.
“It certainly wasn’t as bad as first thought. He will miss the Tigers trial but at this stage we are confident he will be ready to play in round one.”
The news on Carney comes after an encouraging performance by the Sharks in Auckland, with a couple of missed opportunities in their semi final against the Broncos ultimately costing them a finals berth and a shot at the inaugural Nines title.
Carney was solid in his teams round one victory over the Knights, before going down with the injury in game two.
Daniel Holdsworth capably handled the playmaking duties in the absence of Carney, while the 9’s unearthed a couple of NRL players of the not-too-distant future, with Valentine Holmes and Fa’amanu Brown making major contributions for the Sharks over the course of the Nines tournament.
Other than the Carney mishap, the Sharks suffered no further major injury concerns and will also welcome the return of a number of senior players for their final trial match against the Wests Tigers on Saturday.
The NRL trial with the Tigers kicks off at Remondis Stadium at 7.00pm on Saturday night (February 22).
