The Raiders board yesterday withdrew their previous offer to suspend and rehabilitate Carney and instead cancelled his contract after a series of off-field incidents.

Club chief executive Don Furner admitted yesterday the chances of replacing a player of Carney's quality would be almost impossible, with the vast majority of players in Australia and overseas already contracted for 2009.

Carney signed a lucrative four-year contract worth a rumoured $1.6million earlier this year, making him the club's highest-paid player.

The Raiders had been building a team around the Country Origin star for the past four years.

Furner said cutting the 22-year-old loose was extremely difficult because it meant putting the club's playing roster back considerably.

He said the club would now put its faith in rookie halfback Marc Herbert and under-20s playmakers Mick Picker and Matt Smith.

''The decision for the board was a very, very hard one because we could keep him here and he's playing good footy,'' Furner said.

''There's not many players around at this time of year and particularly ones of that quality.

''The blokes just aren't available so we can't just spend up big just because that money is now available.''

Carney made his first-grade debut for the Raiders as an 18-year-old and had developed into the team's key playmaker.

His potential is such that at least another four NRL clubs clamoured for his services earlier this year, forcing the Raiders to grant him a considerable pay rise.

Former Canberra captain Simon Woolford said the loss of Carney would be felt by the Raiders for years to come.

''It's very disappointing for both him and the Raiders,'' Woolford said.

''He was the guy they were building a team around and they were shaping up to be a very competitive team and he was an essential part of that.

''It's also very disappointing for the NRL in general.

''... I suppose the Raiders had to make a stance, but hopefully he uses this time to learn from his mistakes.''

While Carney's on-field ability has ensured his growing monetary value, his behavioral issues left the board between a rock and a hard place.

In the past three weeks he has been accused of urinating on a man at O'Connor pub All Bar Nun and being thrown out of the Goulburn Workers Club. Add that to his three driving-related convictions and he has a rap sheet as long as any professional footballer playing in Australia.

Carney's manager David Riolo admitted as much following Carney's sacking.

''Todd was committed to the Raiders for another four years, but the club in their wisdom has decided to terminate that agreement,'' Riolo said. ''We can't argue with that, we did get a hearing today and Todd got a chance to address the board.

''I'm not happy with the outcome because I'm disappointed for Todd.

''But there were circumstances that have happened and Todd's got to understand and realise that he's been involved in some incidents.''

Riolo did express his disappointment that the board didn't sack Carney to his face, instead leaving it up to Furner and Raiders football manager David Sharpe.

Raiders chairman John McIntyre described the decision as ''the most difficult day I've faced''.

''Everybody in the room was genuinely concerned about the young man's future, his life,'' he said. ''... In fact, I've been at the Raiders since day one and this is probably the most difficult day I've experienced.''

McIntyre revealed the club offered to fund counselling as part of a ''separation arrangement'' so Carney could ''get his life in order''.

But the club would not pay him the remainder of this year's salary.