Dumped Raiders playmaker Todd Carney will have the backing of the Rugby League Players Association if he seeks to play for another NRL club next season.

After having the new $1.6 million four-year contract he signed mid-season terminated at a specially convened meeting of the Canberra board last Thursday, Carney's future has been left in limbo by the NRL's announcement he would not be registered to play again until 2010.

But Carney's agent, David Riolo, believes rival NRL clubs should be free to sign him, and RLPA chief executive Matthew Rodwell has offered to support the 22-year-old former Goulburn junior's bid for reinstatement if he can find a deal elsewhere.

"Obviously, he would have to find another club first, but if someone was prepared to sign Todd the RLPA would support him playing in 2009," Rodwell said. "I'm sure any offer that Todd received would be conditional on him giving certain undertakings about his behaviour, and it might be in his best interests if he was allowed to play.

"If Canberra don't want to play against him, perhaps they shouldn't have sacked him. It has already cost him a lot of money and his image has copped a battering."

Riolo plans to seek a meeting with NRL CEO David Gallop as well as Raiders officials to plead Carney's case if his client still wants to play in the NRL.

Penrith and the Warriors are among those expected to be interested if Carney - touted as a future Test and Origin representative before his latest alcohol-related misdemeanours - were available, but Riolo said the halfback may decide to head to Super League, where Wigan, London Harlequins and the newly promoted Celtic Crusaders have all been linked with him.

"First of all, Todd has got to decide whether he wants to go overseas or stay in Australia," Riolo said.

"But if any club wants to sign Todd Carney it should be up to them. He has already been penalised by missing the rest of this season."

Riolo and Rodwell pointed out that Canberra signed Queensland Origin back-rower Neville Costigan last year after he was sacked by the Broncos, along with prop Dane Tilse, who was deregistered in 2006 following his axing by Newcastle.

Terence Seu Seu was allowed to join Cronulla after being sacked by the Knights earlier this season, while axed Bulldogs rookie Arana Taumata has not been deregistered.

"I don't think those players should be deregistered either," Riolo said. "I just think the same rule should apply to Todd. He's undergoing counselling and doing community work."

But NRL chief executive David Gallop said each case was dealt with separately and confirmed the league was strongly influenced by the stance of clubs. "I've always said that we would take into account the circumstances and the attitude of the club that terminates the player," Gallop said.

"It's a big factor with someone in his [Carney's] situation. With Terence Seu Seu, the Knights said they would expect him to be unable to play for six to eight weeks, while the Broncos felt that their players [Costigan and Brett Seymour] should be able to play somewhere else. But we said that Dane Tilse and [Cronulla's] Tevita Latu were unable to play for a year."

■ Wests Tigers forward Todd Payten faces the prospect of missing the remainder of the regular season after being given a grade-two dangerous throw charge for his tackle on St George Illawarra centre Matt Cooper on Friday night.

Payten will miss all four of his side's remaining home-and-away fixtures should he fight the charge and lose at the NRL judiciary, placing the fate of his season in his teammates.

Even an early guilty plea would allow a return in only the final round.

Dragons back-rower Lagi Setu can escape with a one-match suspension after a grade-four careless high tackle on Tigers forward Corey Payne in the same match. Bulldogs halfback Daniel Holdsworth (dangerous contact with a kicker) and Melbourne winger Anthony Quinn (grade-one dangerous throw) can both escape suspension with early guilty pleas.

■ North Queensland captain Johnathan Thurston will provide a boost to the Cowboys' hopes of avoiding the wooden spoon today when he is named to return from a knee injury against Gold Coast on Saturday night.