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Opinion
Signing Josh Addo-Carr is a risky proposition but for St George Illawarra it’s well worth the punt.
The Foxx is all but certain to have played his last match for Canterbury.
All that remains to be seen now is whether the Bulldogs terminate his contract due to his recent roadside cocaine arrest or do the old “you can go a year early for a longer term offer elsewhere” routine.
And the Dragons look like the best bet to land his signature on a contract which could play a major part in his career legacy.
At 29, he still has time to regain his NSW and Australian jerseys and again become one of the best wingers in the game.
But this is his last chance. If the injuries and off-field dramas continue, Addo-Carr could find himself quickly out of the league altogether or forced to take up a Super League or overseas rugby deal to eke out whatever he can in the remaining years of his career.
And the fact that this is a fork in the road moment for the former Storm premiership winner should play into Shane Flanagan’s hands.
As long as the Dragons don’t do anything crazy like put a three-year offer on the table, they could and should be getting a motivated player who has match-winning capability.
With Zac Lomax switching to Parramatta, the Dragons’ outside backs are lacking strikepower.
The recruitment of Valentine Holmes replaces Lomax as goal kicker and gives the Dragons another aerial threat out wide.
With Moses Suli a specialist right centre, Holmes will slot in on the left edge, which is Addo-Carr’s preferred side.
A Holmes-Foxx combination would produce plenty of points, particularly with another attacking threat in Tyrell Sloan sweeping around from fullback.
Even though Jason Saab has sprinted away with his mantle as being the fastest player in the NRL, Addo-Carr is far from a spent force.
He tallied 11 tries in 14 appearances for the Bulldogs last season either side of the torn hamstring which sidelined him midway through the year.
Josh Addo-Carr. (Photo by Jeremy Ng/Getty Images)
In his 52 matches for Canterbury over the past three seasons he’s touched down 38 times at a none too shabby strike rate of 73%.
His 96 tries at the Storm came at an 81% clip but that was in a perennially dominant team unlike Canterbury who missed the playoffs in his first two years at the club.
There is plenty to weigh up on the flip side to the Addo-Carr conundrum which will face the Dragons if/when Canterbury show him the door.
On the field, when rugby league wingers who are noted for their out and out speed lose just a fraction of that explosive pace that made them special, they can quickly become just another guy.
Addo-Carr is by no means out of shape but does not look as lean as he once was, possibly bulking up a fraction to cope with the tough backfield carries which are part of the modern winger’s repertoire.
The Dragons have a strong record in whipping players into shape since Flanagan brought his unrelenting standards to Wollongong
And the other cause for concern before St George Illawarra dish out a deal is his tarnished off-field record over the past 12 months.
First of all there was the Koori Knockout brawl this time last year, a few minor misdemeanours here and there and then the roadside cocaine test, followed by differing versions of events about what transpired.
The NRL has banned him three games on top of a $15,000 fine so even if he can get the Indigenous All-Stars game counted towards his suspension, the earliest he will be available next season is Round 3.
Even though he stood himself down from the Dogs’ elimination final game against Manly so as not to be a distraction, the fact remains that he let his teammates down heading into their most important match of the year, the club’s first playoff appearance in eight years, one they subsequently lost.
The Bulldogs have Jacob Kiraz and Blake Wilson to fill their wings outside of Stephen Crichton and Bronson Xerri.
Addo-Carr is expendable.
That much was obvious not by what Dogs supremo Phil Gould said but by what he didn’t say when asked about the winger’s situation on 100% Footy on Monday night.
“I like Josh, I really do. He’s been great for our club. He has been a wonderful asset for our club,” he said. Note the use of past tense.
Shane Flanagan (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
“He’s still got plenty of good football left in him but there are a number of things and I just need Josh to work out what his future looks like and where it is and I’ll support him through that process.”
A cynic, reading between the lines, would say that Gould is telling Addo-Carr that if he wants to be a good foot soldier and do the right thing then they may let him stick around for one more year.
But if you’ve got a better offer they won’t be standing in his way.
Sharks five-eighth Braydon Trindall was able to come back from a similar incident earlier this year and strike career-best form.
Addo-Carr is way too young for retirement and too talented for the proverbial scrapheap. If he is fit and focused, he could fire at the Dragons.