Webcke wants player watchdog to guard against clubs sweeping off-field dirt under the carpet

Rugby league's image has taken another battering from allegations Carney urinated on the head and neck of a patron, believed to be a friend of teammate Dane Tilse, at the All Bar Nun nightspot in Canberra.

Carney was last night ordered by the Raiders' board to either sit out the rest of the season and seek counselling or lose his contract with the club. Carney will also have to do voluntary work.

"The board also decided to impose a fine on him," Canberra's CEO Don Furner said. "A substantial amount but it's no point going into that."

Carney's alleged victim dropped the complaint to police before allegations he was paid to do so. In a further concern for the NRL, former Raider Steve Irwin claimed the club asked him to lie to police when Carney was under investigation for a high-speed car chase last year. Irwin was sacked for his part in the affair while Carney was allowed to continue his promising career.

The Raiders have strenuously denied Irwin's claim and have threatened legal action. The latest drama and claims of a cover-up have again raised the question of whether clubs should be responsible for investigating and disciplining their players for off-field issues.

Former league bosses Ken Arthurson and John Quayle, as well as former Wallabies coach John Connolly, had previously called for the disciplining of players to be taken away from clubs.

Webcke said the clubs' self-interest prevented them from properly disciplining their own players and the responsibility should be handed over to an independent body.

"Clubs have got a vested interest," Webcke told The Sun-Herald .

"They want their players, particularly the good ones, back on the field. You could almost forgive a club for erring on the side of leniency to get them back on the field.

"It [an off-field judiciary] would bring some impartiality and that could lead to more consistent penalties for things deemed to be off-field. At a time when we seem to have 400 tiers of administration, I don't want to appear to be adding to it, but this just keeps coming back to us."

There were rumours in league circles that Carney, 22, was suffering bipolar disorder, the condition which contributed to Andrew Johns's erratic off-field behaviour.

However, Carney's mum, Leanne, told The Sun-Herald : "I'm his mother and I've not heard that."

Former Newcastle forward Tilse, who was deregistered for one season after a drunken night in Bathurst, refused to enter the debate.

Carney's manager, David Riolo, could not accept that his client or the club had bought the alleged victim's silence. "I don't believe that happened, that's not to my knowledge at all," Riolo said.

Riolo, who learned of his client's sanctions just moments before Furner told the media, said Carney was "shattered" and "extremely disappointed" with his suspension.

"He was hoping to be back on the field next week. I spoke to Todd and he's obviously disappointed."

Riolo said he wanted to review the alleged incident.

"We'll have a look at all the avenues, possibly see if we can appeal it," he said.

The board decided Carney's fate before kick-off in last night's match.

Asked if an off-field judiciary would be a more transparent way of dealing with incidents like Carney's, Furner said: "I haven't really given it a lot of thought, it's the first I've heard of it [the proposal]. I don't know what the legal status of that would be, as the employees are contracted to the clubs and they are bound by their agreement with the club - not bound by rules governed by an independent commission."

The Raiders must also decide on the future of Bronx Goodwin, who was charged with two counts of assault following his part in a brawl at the same venue.

Carney and Goodwin weren't the only footballers to play up last weekend. Bulldogs pair Ben Roberts and Lee Te Maari were fined and stood down from tomorrow night's clash with St George Illawarra after their involvement in a nightclub brawl in Cronulla.

Bulldogs CEO Todd Greenberg believed punishment should remain within the jurisdiction of the clubs.

"People who pay their employees are the ones who should be disciplining them," he said. "It's hard for the governing body to come over the top with discipline when you're paying the bills."

Manly CEO Grant Meyer said an off-field judiciary would mean footballers were judged differently to the rest of the public. "There are public laws in place to punish people for breaking the law - now we're talking about judging moral issues."